Award-winning Eight Group is an independent printer and marketing services company. From its production site in Nottingham, operating internationally, it covers the full marketing mix from ideas to delivery.
Working under the four sub-brands of ‘Eight Days’, ‘Eight Plus’, Eight Digital’, and ‘Eight Create’ the group offers added value to customers through all channels. The company is a committed sustainable, carbon-neutral business and proud to be B Corp Certified organisation.
B Corp is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials
A winner of PrintWeek’s Customer Service Team of the Year 2022 & 2024, alongside being SME of the Year 2022, Eight Group’s Lance Hill also recently won the coveted CEO of the Year Award at a packed ceremony in the BizX Awards.
That award recognised his transformative effect on Eight Group, which has expanded under his stewardship from a print-only, 15-employee business in 2019 to a multi-service group employing 32.
Registered as a B Corp in late 2023, Eight Group has also nearly tripled its turnover during Hill’s tenure as CEO. Eight Group was also a finalist in the Best Personal Growth and Green Company of the Year categories at the same awards.
Prior to securing the certification, Eight Group had faced unique obstacles as a print and mailing company in meeting the rigorous standards set by the B-Corp certification process. From carefully assessing its environmental impact to ensuring fair and ethical treatment of its workers, the group took every step necessary to make a positive and sustainable impact.
Throughout this journey, Eight Group has actively engaged with its community and demonstrated its commitment to social responsibility.
The continuing growth led Eight Group to invest in a Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1e digital B2 inkjet press, the first of its kind to be installed at a UK print business. The production press, which is the central part of a £1.2m investment in Eight Group’s its production facilities, has been financed through a hire purchase agreement with Compass Business Finance.
Lance, who was at the forefront of a management buyout in 2021, said: “Before the investment in the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1e, we hadn’t needed external finance previously. Compass has a big presence in our sector, whether it’s sponsoring events or just being there for customers.
Lance’s connection with Compass came through David Bunker, one of the directors, when the pair met at a networking lunch during an IPIA conference. "Compass is a trusted partner in the print industry and did a great job," said Lance, a council member of the IPIA. "The funding process was as simple and straightforward as could be. From the beginning, I felt a strong connection to Compass and David – the rest is history.
“However, even if I hadn’t met David, Compass would have been top of my list to contact because of their presence. They are well known, and have a good reputation in the marketplace, putting customer needs at the forefront of everything they do. Everything was straightforward. I’ve never heard of anything negative said about them.”
“I’ve built up a good relationship with David and Compass in a short space of time even though I've only known him for little more than a year,” added Lance. “David made a point of visiting us in person, had full introduction to our business and really got a feel for what we do, understood more about what we stand for, and what we are all about.
“For the financing, we came to an agreement. Everything was a straightforward as far as funding can be. I was most impressed. We have never looked back.”
“The AccurioJet KM-1e is a considerable enhancement for our business and a UK first for Konica Minolta. This AccurioJet digital press enables us to produce exceptional quality, short-run, large format work in-house that we previously outsourced to litho subcontractors. We have greater control of production whilst keeping more revenue in-house, better utilisation of our equipment, and enhanced speed to market, along with top-quality results across a wide range of substrates.
“Compass Business Finance has played an important role in that journey.”
