Stationers merge to grow
A TEES Valley stationer has merged with a York-based office supplier in a bid to grow sales to £10m in the next five years.
Central Stationers of Darlington, which employs 12 has combined resources with Wallis Business Services, which already has branches in York and Malton employing 55 people.
The group will have combined sales of £6.5m, putting Wallis’s strategy to grow to £10m over five years firmly on course.
Both companies benefit from years of skills and experience in the stationery business.
Central Stationers has been trading in Darlington for 25 years, while Wallis Business Services is now entering its 43rd year.
Steve Weeks, managing director of Central Stationers, said: “This merger will not only give the company better buying power, but also give our customers a whole new range of services.
Mr Weeks will hand over the keys of the Grange Road branch to his daughter Joanna Kwok over the coming months.
Joanna has worked for the company for six years and won the British Office Supplies Industry’s Young professional of the Year in 2006.
Peter Wallis, managing director of Wallis Business Services, said customers would not see any change, as Central Stationers will retain its name and all existing sales contacts will remain in place.
“The only change will be in the increasing services offered, and a free delivery service in the North,” he said.
