Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty in 2008, executives at UK-based Middleton Paper Group took the decision to launch a new UK paper merchant – Vision Paper and Board. Middleton Paper were known as the Merchant’s Merchant, sheeting and delivering a range of bespoke and standard sizes to paper merchants, and some printers, under a variety of different labels and paper grades. The decision to launch a separate company to sell directly to the print trade, while utilising the infrastructure and services of Middleton Paper was not an easy one.
In the early days, Vision Paper and Board was seen merely as a vehicle for Middleton Paper products and services, but, as their range of paper and suppliers became more established they were able to stand alone as an independent paper merchant in their own right and compete alongside more established players. Ian Pentland, Commercial Director for Vision Paper and Board tells us, “From the start we wanted to compete with the major merchants, so we were constantly on the look out for new suppliers of permanent brands, as we saw it as important to offer the same quality to our customers under the same branding time after time, so we eventually were able to launch our Brands You Can Trust promise. We are proud of our diverse product range, and of our suppliers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning.”
With the backing and resources of the Middleton Paper Group, itself almost 60 years old, Vision Paper and Board are able to offer a number services to the trade, including their much-admired Your Size Bespoke Sheeting initiative, enabling their customers to buy sheets in a size more suited to the job rather than sometimes wasteful off the shelf sizes.
“From a small start, we believe that Vision Paper and Board are now the UK’s largest merchant and converter, with a customer base ranging from the south west of England to Scotland and all points in between,” says Jason Middleton, Managing Director. “We have our fleet of branded vehicles operating from our national conversion distribution centre conveniently located just off the M6 in the West Midlands.” Currently, Vision Paper and Board hold around 20,000 tonnes of stock at any one time, both in sheets and cutter reels ready for rapid conversion.
“Back in 2008, it was a new idea for a paper merchant to use cutter reels to sheet their own stocks, in both standard and bespoke sizes, and no one really knew if it would work.” Ian Pentland remembers. “Celebrating our 10th Anniversary, we are proud to still be around, and still growing.”
“We are still small enough to demonstrate the same hunger for business we had at the start,” says Jason Middleton, “but also large enough to hold our own in a fiercely competitive market and provide our customers with the range and depth of products they need.” The company can supply from packets to pallets and everything from coated papers to greyboard and are very proud of their wide and extensive range of graphical and packaging boards.
