£250k investment from Lisburn firm

Reach EPS, which provides screen-printing and embroidery and has an e-commerce school uniform operation, is investing over £250,000 with the support of Ulster Bank to expand its operations.

The company, which currently employs 24 people, is opening a new 4,500sq ft retail outlet in the centre of Lisburn. It has also expanded its purpose-built factory at Lissue Industrial Estate by more than 3,000 sq ft.

Reach EPS Director Chris Leitch says that this will see staff numbers grow to more than 30 over the next 12 months and turnover increase by some 20 per cent this year.

“Our traditional business is screen-printing and embroidery for a wide range of businesses, but we have also invested considerably, with the support of Ulster Bank, to develop a new school uniform operation which now has over 100 local schools signed up,” he said.

“It is e-commerce centred, allowing parents to order their child’s uniform from a bespoke online shop, with the school getting a percentage of the sale price.

“As part of the development of the school uniform business, we have decided to open a retail outlet in Lisburn to enable parents to see the uniforms, and children to try them on.

“The new unit will also support the further expansion of our other services, including enabling us to be the first stockists of Italian sportswear brand Legea in the UK.

“Last year we also expanded our operation in the Republic of Ireland and are now seeing strong growth in that area. Another exciting development is our new online order system for trade customers.”

Girvan Gault, Director, Commercial Banking at Ulster Bank, said: “Reach EPS is a highly innovative company that has continually invested to meet changing customer needs and to develop new sources of revenue. Ulster Bank has been very pleased to support the company with a series of investments over the years, and help enable this latest investment which will position the company strongly for future growth.”

Pamela Gaston, Business Manager at Ulster Bank, said: “We’re open to good applications for finance in order to help local businesses take the next steps and provide meaningful help for what matters to them.”