Fourth generation Midland printing business moves to Bromsgrove

By Nicky Godding

10 April 2024

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Pic cap: Ian Parker of John Truslove, with George and Simon Billingham – and Odie

Nearly a century after it was founded, a family printing business is set for a new chapter after securing a new home in Bromsgrove in a £245,000 property deal.

Vauxhall Printing, which can trace its roots back to 1927 and has always been run by the same family, has moved from its base in Small Heath, Birmingham, to the Buntsford Gate Business Park in Bromsgrove

Vauxhall offers lithographic, digital printing, signage and merchandise service with an in-house studio design facility.

Managing director Simon Billingham is the fourth generation of his family to run the business, while one of his sons has joined the company as the fifth generation.

“We have been based in Small Heath since the 1970s, but we have been looking for somewhere nearer Bromsgrove for the last five or six years.

“Our use of couriers means the geography of our offices is less important and being in Bromsgrove means we only face a 20 minute journey to work instead of an hour and a half – it’s about improving that work/life balance.

“We had worked closely with Ian Parker at John Truslove before, and he’s been helping us with our property search this time. But we have found it very difficult to find the right premises for sale rather than for lease. It was important to us to own our own premises.

“A previous deal fell through but Ian suggested we have a look at Unit 10 at The Croft, in Buntsford Drive, Bromsgrove. It was actually better for us than the other property and gives us nearly 2,500 sq ft of space.

“We are now hoping to add more companies in the Bromsgrove and Redditch area to our existing customer base – it is clearly a vibrant area for businesses.

Ian Parker, joint managing director at John Truslove, helped Vauxhall Printing secure the two-storey office premises in Buntsford Drive for £245,000 in an off-market deal.

He said: “Simon needed premises that worked for the business but that were also available for sale. That was a tough ask in the current market, when many property owners prefer to hold on to premises as landlords, but our extensive knowledge of the local market meant we were able to find offices that fit the bill."

The legal team from Sydney Mitchell Solicitors advised Vauxhall Printing on the property acquisition.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.