It’s almost time to wrap up 2018…
As we approach the end of another fantastic year in business at Leach HQ, it’s an ideal opportunity to reflect on the last 12 months, and the achievements and milestones experienced during 2018.
The greatest change for the firm came along at the start of April, when our 127-year old family-run business was acquired by global manufacturing and services group Chargeurs, which is based in Paris.
Although a significant event in the Leach timeline, the day-to-day running of the company has remained constant, and was swiftly followed by the announcement of a new senior management team, which saw the start of a five-year journey towards Leach becoming a £25m brand. But changes – for the better – have rung in throughout 2018.
Back in February, we were thrilled to reveal a brand new version of our popular merchandise display system – Product Wall – which can seamlessly integrate illuminated fabric graphics to maximise the use of shop floor space.
After more than 12 months of planning, Product Wall Max premiered at the Retail Shopfitting & Event Summit, where its flexibility and ease of use made the product an instant success in the retail market. It has also gone on to attract staggering attention in the exhibition arena too.
To emphasise its effect on the industry, the solution has even featured in a number of award scheme shortlists throughout the year, which included the Creative Retail Awards’ Most Innovative Display Product, for our work with Regatta on the installation of Product Wall Lite. Another accomplishment, received towards the end of 2018, was its appearance on the FX International Interior Design award shortlist, in the Lighting Product category.
To achieve this national recognition for the Leach team was superb, and really helped to highlight all the hard work that has gone into Product Wall.
Yet again this year, the client portfolio has increased, and the team has overhauled impactful display solutions for a number of high-profile names. Well-known pre-owned retailer Watchfinder – with stores in locations including Avery Row in London’s Mayfair – is just one of our latest customers, and its exclusive boutiques now have the ‘wow-factor’ as a result.
And sticking with the watch theme, Leach also headed up an interior rebrand project within Manchester Arena for Raymond Weil, using bespoke lightboxes and table-top vinyl graphics to maximise the brand’s exposure within the entertainment venue.
Investment has continued, with the purchase of a half a million-pound new Durst Rhotex 325 printer that has doubled the capacity of the factory, allowing a 500m² per hour print rate.
And to round off a great 2018, a brand new product – specifically designed to challenge traditional exhibition stand thinking – was unveiled at VIP customer events held at both Leach’s West-Yorkshire headquarters and at 41 Portland Place in London. Vision Lightwall – which integrates ultra-bright LED illumination with large format HD quality graphics – is available in three key formats, and offers companies a more impactful solution when exhibiting at trade shows and conferences.
So we’re sure you’ll agree, it’s been quite a year!
We will close for the Christmas period at 12pm on Monday 24th December, and re-open for business as usual at 9am on Wednesday 2nd January 2019.
Finally, we would like to wish all our clients, colleagues, suppliers and friends of Leach a very merry Christmas, and all the best for a healthy and prosperous 2019.
We think it’s going to be another cracker!
