BIDBI expands green bag printing factory
SUSTAINABLE cloth bag manufacturer BIDBI has expanded its printing operations thanks to £400,000 of support from Santander.
The Sheffield business, formerly known as Bag It Don’t Bin It, hopes this will speed up production and make “big cost savings.”
The new screen making room also enables the company, which has seen a “dramatic” increase in turnover and profit, to make photographic quality screen printed bags, tea towels, t-shirts and other textiles.
BIDBI’s turnover to the end of June last year was more than £970,000 and this year, it is looking to see a turnover of £1.3m.
To help it grow, BIDBI, which was founded in 2007 by Sheffield entrepreneur, Julia Gash, was offered a “holistic package of support” worth £400,000 from Santander Corporate And Commercial.
Ms Gash said the company has seen an increase in business of more than 30%, part of which has been because of this funding.
She said: “It has given us the confidence to invest in the infrastructure of the business. We didn’t have facilities as sophisticated as this before, so we can now make a dramatic saving in time and I am confident this will enable us to be more efficient and more competitive.”
BIDBI, which employs 20 people at its site in Neepsend, estimates the new factory will save the firm about £10,000 per year in terms of profit and a “considerable amount of time”, due to its efficiency.
Ms Gash said the business has invested about £12,000 on the new factory and is now also developing its international sales.
Liz Pickering, BIDBI’s business relationship manager at Santander said:“I’m delighted we have been able to support Julia and help her grow her business.
“She is a fantastic businesswoman with a strong plan for the future and I’m absolutely confident she will continue to make a success of the business.”
