30.11.07
Newspaper supplier finds new way with map company

Unlocking Cornish Potential graduate Mark Jones is ensuring a long established newspaper wholesale business expands and ensures its future by setting up two new website sales companies.

Dash, a family-owned business based at Barncoose Industrial Estate, Redruth, is a company with its trade very firmly based around newspaper delivery to retailers. Since joining Dash last year Mark has greatly expanded the sales range and made products available direct to the public as well as to retailers. This in turn is leading to extra jobs at Dash and a turnover of about half a million pounds for just one of the new companies.

Mark is originally from Doncaster but moved to Cornwall when he was 18. He later qualified with a BA Honours degree in business and marketing from Bangor University and returned to Cornwall carrying out mainly seasonal work. He began work as business development manager at Dash in October 2006.

He got the job via Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP), a Combined Universities in Cornwall project that has received Objective One investment and is run by Cornwall College. UCP places graduates with businesses and offers support, including advice from industry experts, for up to one year.

Since then he has worked to launch two e-commerce businesses dash4it.co.uk and dash4yourshop.co.uk – which have become particularly successful. He explained: “My brief was diversification and expansion. Dash already supplies all the local shops every morning and had started selling sundry items to those shops. The idea was to expand that sundries trade nationally to retailers and also direct to customers.

“Since I have been here we have built and developed a website, created a stock room and stock system and brought together a successful team. As well as newspaper distribution we have been selling things like batteries, memory cards and maps. We are one of only 30 Ordnance Survey official wholesalers in the country so that is a big advantage.

“Dash4yourshop.co.uk is a new concept directly aimed at the smaller, independent retailer. By breaking down bulk, retailers can buy a selection of product lines in small quantities and still receive the best prices, making counter lines more accessible for the smaller independent. On the consumer side dash4it.co.uk is a website loosely based around the outdoor leisure and the walking market and the Ordnance Survey maps have been the core line. The idea is that we offer a discount and free first class delivery to the general public – so we sell the cheapest and supply the fastest.

“Sales there rocketed during the summer and surprised us all. My brief was to achieve a turnover of £160,000 and we are turning over three to four times that at the moment.”

Mark, who has been retained by Dash following his one year UCP placement (during which time he won a UCP award), said that there are now plans for another website aimed directly at serving schools.

Stephen Dash, managing director of Dash (South West) Ltd, said “Taking on an Unlocking Cornish Potential graduate was a great decision and I am delighted with the progress that Mark has made during his first twelve months in the business. The structured help and support offered by the UCP scheme has been integral to Mark’s success and I had no hesitation in offering him a full time job at the end of his placement.”

One of Mark’s mentors during UCP was Stafford Sumner who advised him about digital marketing.

“That was one of the many benefits I received from the Unlocking Cornish Potential scheme and probably the most valuable part for me,” said Mark.

Stafford, who is Managing Director of the Cornish based email marketing agency, Jarrang and one of the British Council's Digital Pioneers in Hong Kong said: “I am delighted with Mark's ambition to develop a traditional business using the online marketing channel as a response to the changing demands of consumers. It is evident by the significant growth experienced by Dash4it in the first six months of trading that a strategic digital marketing plan, harnessing different elements of the online marketing mix, has been a key success factor and has contributed to yet another successful UCP project.”

Ben Leonard, Unlocking Cornish Potential project manager, added: “Mark has managed an exemplary UCP project that really highlights the benefits a business can experience when taking on a highly skilled graduate. Mark’s consistently positive attitude and drive to establish the new websites coupled with his enthusiasm to take advantage of all of the support available from UCP have made this project a huge success. Mark was an extremely worthy winner of a UCP award at our 2007 celebration event and represents a real talent for the future of business in Cornwall.”

For further information please contact Clare Morgan, Media Relations Manager, the Partnership Office, on 01872 223439/07973 813647 or email cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). Unlocking Cornish Potential is run by Cornwall College, a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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