Coventry stationery supplier expands within city after investing in new showroom
A Coventry-based international supplier of stationery and seasonal goods which has grown significantly in recent years has expanded within the city.
Tallon International, which now has two sites at Cyan Park, supplies a wide range of stationery and seasonal products to wholesalers and retailers both in the UK and abroad.
After being founded in 1972, the family-owned business is now 50-strong while turning over £18 million annually, and is fondly remembered as a former kit sponsor of Coventry City FC.
It has opened a new showroom in its recently-acquired second site after making a significant investment on a six-week fit-out to create a premium space for its customers.
Tallon International’s previous showroom at its warehouse on the other side of Cyan Park was in need of an upgrade, according to its CEO Steve Clay.
“While our business has been strong for a number of years, we felt that our older showroom was not doing our products justice or providing a comfortable environment when customers were visiting us,” he said.
“It was a little bit sterile, and the warehouse environment in which it was situated was not particularly attractive for customers to look at.
“In April, our group was able to purchase the building opposite our existing HQ in an off-market deal, which was a major win for us.
“It not only meant we could provide our office staff with a more inviting working environment, but also gave us more flexibility in what we could do with the interior.
“We felt the second floor would be the perfect place for a new dedicated showroom. After a six-week fit-out, the room is now merchandised with all of our product ranges and now feels like a warm and inviting space that we are proud to invite customers to.”
Steve now hopes the new showroom will bring renewed success for Tallon International and more opportunities to experiment with new product lines.
He added: “We’ve been on an upward trajectory for a number of years, and we actually performed very well during COVID thanks to sales of children’s craft supplies, such as crayons, stickers and colouring books, dramatically increasing.
“In recent times, it has been the volatility of importing that has made us consider our strategy more carefully. We also purchase a great deal of products in US dollars, which meant our costs could massively fluctuate depending on the strength of sterling in foreign exchange markets. Other global factors have also impacted us.
“However, we are in a good position thanks to our agility and industry leading stock availability that supports our core group of around 900 repeat customers who regularly view Tallon as their supplier of choice.
“This, along with the new showroom, will give us more freedom and entitlement to experiment with different kinds products, such as Christmas roll wrap this year, to see how they perform alongside our best-sellers.
“We’re still just as ambitious as we’ve always been, and we’re confident the new showroom will help set us up for further success.”
