Member Article

Northumberland publishing house expands following Investment for Growth grant

Northumberland-based business Relish Publications has expanded its portfolio while increasing turnover by £40k following a grant from Investment for Growth.

Relish is a publishing house creating regional fine dining recipe books from across the UK.

Relish collaborates with acclaimed chefs to collect a number of recipes, with the books compiled and then sold in their respective regions, in high-end bookshops and restaurants.

Operating from its office in Morpeth, the company has worked with hundreds of chefs over the past six years.

Earlier this year, Relish identified a new revenue stream, allowing the company to work with individual chefs to create a recipe book in their own right, rather than collaborating with other chefs within their area.

Managing director of Relish Publications Duncan Peters and his team made an application to Investment for Growth to help meet the costs of a digital marketing consultant.

The appointed consultancy would provide Relish with training and support to be able to attract individual chefs to the offering and sell the recipe books onto the public.

Relish applied for the business grant in the summer of this year, and within a month the funds were made available to the business, seeing Duncan and his team appoint Lateral Advertising to support Relish in its new venture.

Since receiving the grant and working with Lateral to create its digital marketing strategy, Relish has seen an increase in custom to the core business offering, as well developing its first individual recipe book with a well-known chef, with the publication due to launch in July 2015.

As a result, revenue has increased by £40k and profit in excess of £10k, with the figures set to rise as the individual recipe books hit the shelves.

Duncan Peters said: “We knew we had a strong product but lacked the knowledge needed to best use new digital marketing and social media platforms to bring the individual recipe books to market.

“By tapping into the Investment for Growth fund we were able to afford the very best consultancy and training.

“Thanks to the funding from Investment for Growth, we’re building our business and safeguarding jobs. In addition, we’ve recently recruited an additional member of staff, who is responsible for customer service and sales of the new individual recipe books.

“To any SME considering applying for a business grant, I’d recommend speaking with Investment for Growth.

“Our business adviser’s support has been invaluable and without the fund, we wouldn’t have been able to buy-in the digital marketing expertise we required to get the new business project off the ground - it certainly wouldn’t have led us to Mark and the team at Lateral.”

Marketing director at Lateral Advertising, Mark Carton, said: “We were delighted to be able to work with Duncan to help him realise his plans and take Relish Publications forward.

“The funding from Investment for Growth meant that we were able to support Duncan with his e-marketing, online PR and social media strategy, as well as training the team and teaching them how to manage this activity in-house.”

Business adviser at Investment for Growth, Colin Bunn, added: “Relish offers a great product. For Duncan and his team, the potential for success has been multiplied across the UK by targeting individual chefs.

“Through enlisting a specialist digital marketing consultant, Duncan and his team are using the skills and knowledge they have learned to transform the way they manage sales and marketing within Relish Publications.”

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