Newark company The Barcode Warehouse marks 35 years of growth as flagship office opens
Over 35 years a company has grown from printing food labels to working with top technology companies.
The Barcode Warehouse, which now occupies three sites in Newark — including a recently opened flagship site — had humble beginnings as Trent Valley Labels in a council-owned unit in Sutton-on-Trent.
Chairman Ross Lee said: “You could not have planned anything like this, from sticky labels to a £65m turnover business. We will continue to grow because our people want to grow.”
Ross founded Trent Valley labels in 1987 when his daughter, Joanne Lee, left school and was unsure about what path to take.
Ross, his wife Maureen, and Joanne began with one Focus Label printing machine, loaned by Ross’ brother with the promise to pay for it if the business took off after a year.
Ross took control of sales, Maureen managed the books and Joanne printed the labels.
The small family team began selling their products to food companies in and around Newark, gradually expanding into a larger unit in Sutton-on-Trent.
By 1999 the business had turned to barcodes, combining its services under The Barcode Warehouse branding, before making its move to Telford Drive, Newark, in 2000 — where the printing plant remains to this day.
Ross said: “One buyer asked, do you do barcodes? I said yes, even though I hadn’t got a clue about them.”
It marked an expansion of the company’s services, printing barcodes as well as selling barcode printers and scanners, then further expansion to manage services and helpdesk facilities.
“We’ve moved from labels to hardware, to manage services to support desk, then solutions,” Joanne said.
“The expansion is taking us in lots of different directions.”
Now, 35 years since it began, the business has a multi-million pound yearly turnover, has grown to nearly 300 staff, works with tech companies including Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba, and has moved towards tech solutions, working with an NHS trust and other businesses to improve their efficiency.
However, printing labels is still a major aspect of the business, with the Telford Drive warehouse printing labels for customers including Royal Mail and Evri.
This summer marked the opening of The Barcode Warehouse’s flagship building, Newton House, on Brunel Drive.
The third of its Newark sites — the second being Enterprise House, also on Brunel Drive, added in 2014 — it boasts eco-certification standard fittings, flexible working space, as well as training rooms, an auditorium and The Innovation and Customer Experience Centre offering customers a real-world demonstration of the technology.
Sal Hadjoudj, sales strategy, technology and innovation director said: “We’ve got a pedigree of changing and adapting to the environment. The vision for the building is to be a single place where we can solve any problem, designed for customers.
“They can bring their problem and we can bring all the tech partners in, so they don’t have to visit each separately.”
The entire building is kitted out with the latest technology, showing visiting customers what is possible.
Through the new training rooms and flexible spaces, the company hopes to work with the education sector to inspire the next generation to enter the industry and host major partners, including Google, to hold events in Newark — with virtual reality capabilities.
Despite the vast expansion and changes in direction, many members of the team — predominantly hired from Newark, Nottingham, Grantham and Lincoln due to the strong talent pool — have remained with the company for many years.
The company is loyal to its employees, with many starting from the bottom and now holding senior roles.
“When I started there was 30 to 35 people on one small site. We had some services but nothing like what we have today,”said Mark Duignan, technical services director, who boasts 18 years of service.
“I started as an engineer and was very task driven and as I progressed I was promoted.”
Matthew Kitchen joined The Barcode Warehouse in 2002 and is now service delivery manager. He saw the business grow from a temporary cabin office in the first Newark site, to the state-of-the-art offices he works in now.
He said: “Its pleasing to see the business growing. This building is matching the set-up to our ambitions and is a big step forwards.”
Lydia Blades, customer services manager, explained she too had seen the successful growth of the business, since joining as an advisor at 18.
Enterprise development executive Georgina Wilkinson, who has been with the company for 20 years, added: “You grow with the company and develop skills. It has grown so big but maintained a family business feel.”
The business is still at its core a family business.
JoanneLee said: “We have a lot of long-serving staff. I feel like it is more of a community than a business.”
She is now director of HR and customer services as well as heading up the production team, while her brother, Ross Lee Jr, also joined the company after he finished school in 2002 and is now business development director.
Ross Jr said: “It’s crazy, we’d never have thought it would grow so much. We had our sights low when we moved to Newark and were looking up to competitors making a £6m turnover.
“The growth has made me stay, it’s a job I can never finish. Until you think you can’t add any value you continue to work.”
Ross Sr chalks the firm’s success to the dedicated staff, and the way they can adapt to the market.
He added: “I stand by three things — customer is king, people buy from people, and deliver on your promise.”
