A Bath-based stationery and calendar business has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by an historic manufacturer specialising in Christmas goods.
The Gifted Stationery Company – a £5m turnover firm founded in 2007 by Nigel Parr – has been taken over by the Swan Mill Group.
The day-to-day running of Gifted will remain unchanged following the deal. Mr Parr will continue to operate the company from an office in Bath, supplying calendars, diaries and stationery products to UK retailers and charities, as well as export customers.
“The Gifted brand is well-known for the more than 500 dated products they run each year which is absolutely new to us,” said David Byk, chief executive of Swan Mill Group.
Gifted launched a children’s lifestyle range – Hey Hugo – earlier this year including backpacks, pencil cases, meal boxes and water bottles.
“We are excited about all the opportunities we can also develop together through our networks with Hey Hugo,” said Mr Byk. “In total they currently run over 1,000 SKUs and we see this, and their expertise to supply these categories bespoke for our customers, as a real boost to our total offer.”
It is Swan Mill Group’s second acquisition in a five-year period, having added the Great British Card Company (GBCC) to its portfolio in 2019.
Mr Byk added: “Whilst GBCC now has a strong stationery offer the Gifted one has a significant point of difference and will thus be incremental to the group.”
The Swan Mill Group was founded in 1892 and is a manufacturer and an importer with full in-house design facilities and an office in Hong Kong. The company also owns Ling Design, a greeting card company based in Bath, as well as Penny Kennedy, a luxury gift packaging brand, which was bought by the business in 2004.