The company has announced that its Managing Director, Stephen Armistead, has been featured in this month’s In-Cumbria magazine, on the Director’s Cut page.
The article describes how Armistead, 54, founded Trade Copiers “from the back of a van in 2002”, going on to develop the Penrith-based company into a business which “buys and sells photocopiers and consumables around the world” and is expected to generate a turnover of £6 million ($8.2 million/€6.7 million) this year.
As a marker of its 12-year process of growth and expansion, the company, which was named Best Exporter at the In-Cumbria Business Awards, now employs over 30 staff and has recently embarked on a £500,000 ($690,726/€561,738) expansion “to its warehouse and office facilities”.
In the magazine, Armistead speaks of Trade Copiers’ humble beginnings, saying that initially “there was just me in a van” after he “saw a niche in the export market” and opted to become a sole trader.
Despite such undistinguished beginnings, Armistead explained that he “had no doubts” and “was confident” that he could “make a success of it.”
His optimism paid off, and these days Trade Copiers is “one of the leading suppliers of consumable products”, which it exports as far afield as Botswana, China and the UAE.
Armistead describes himself as a hands-on boss and revealed that the company is now something of a family affair, as his two sons and daughter both work for Trade Copiers. When questioned on his business philosophy, he responded, “Work hard and the rewards will come,” adding, “don’t be afraid to knock on doors.”
Looking to the future, the Managing Director explained that he would like to see Trade Copier “double in size within the next three years” and describes 2018 as “a big one for us”, as the company expands its premises, creates a call centre and prepares to “launch a new e-commerce site”.
