A small print management company is set to smash its own six-figure turnover target after landing a contract with an international baby food producer.

Four Corners, based in Dyke Road, Brighton, said it was on track to turn over £770,000 instead of the £700,000 it had projected and breach the £1 million mark in 2006.

The company has just completed a major assignment with baby food brand Hipp Organic to produce a milestone calendar for every baby born in this country.

Four Corners claims it managed to save Newbury-based Hipp a staggering 65 per cent on the £300,000 it had paid the previous year without compromising on quality.

Co-founder Dominic Vacher said: "Sometimes printers find it hard to grasp or just haven't got the time to find out what the customer really wants so the results can be disappointing.

"We actually sit down with the customer and talk through their requirements and make suggestions here and there which will improve the outcome.

"This, in turn, cuts out a lot of hassle with the printer because we can present them with exactly what the customer wants and they can just get on with it without any fuss.

"As a result of this and the sheer volume of most of the orders we deal with, printers are willing to give us a very good price.

"We act as a sort of conduit between both parties."

Four Corners was founded three years ago by Mr Vacher and business partner Lena Johansson.

The pair had been colleagues in the print industry for eight years.

They have increased the business by 65 per cent every year and now have a list of clients and suppliers from all over the world, including the US and China.

They have developed a unique database system which allows them to match specific job requirements to printers with the right equipment and technical expertise.

Mr Vacher said: "The business was born out of the frustration I had while working for print companies who, I felt, sold things purely on price and not customer service.

"As an account manager I often found the companies I worked for could only offer a limited print service and that was one of the factors behind going into business on our own.

"But it was really our clients who were telling us to.

"We have managed to retain a lot of them so Four Corners grew very quickly and organically."

In 2003, Four Corners was one of 20 "most promising new businesses" selected to take part in Business Link's High Growth Start-up Scheme and assigned a business mentor.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005