Heritage in industrial printing and brand inspiration
Our founder was Brian Jenkin, an industrial chemist, used to a white coat and the laboratory environment, but looking for wider horizons in business. Brian hung up his lab coat, and in the early days focused on a niche area of engraved labels, working from the garden shed. However, the business grew quickly with customers asking for a wide variety of specialist labels and the company began servicing clients such as Bombardier, BOC and Rolls Royce.
Now over 45 years later, while the company has grown extensively, some things haven’t changed and our commitment to our founder’s values is still the same. Our decades-long partnerships with major manufacturers and public sector organisations are built on a culture of service, expertise and quality – and with accreditations from industry bodies to prove it.
Graphic Arts Group timeline
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1978
Brian Jenkin commenced label production working from the garden shed.
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1981
Graphic Arts (Coventry) trading name was founded as a specialist label manufacturing company, with clients such as Bombardier, BOC, and Rolls Royce.
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1984
The company purchased its first freehold premises in the historic Spon End, in Coventry.
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1992
Growth required relocation to larger premises on Warwick Street, Coventry. The business purchased a freehold premises and rented an additional unit for warehouse and storage space in the same street.
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1996
The business started merchandise and promotional product printing; this division experienced rapid growth, with brand insights and marketing thought leadership pushing the business forward.
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1999
The company acquired City Screenprint, boosting in-house production capabilities.
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2001
The signage division was launched, serving sectors including NHS, education, construction, and corporate.
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2002
We moved to Hearsall Lane in Coventry as we continued to outgrow space.
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2005
The business acquired Coventry Nameplate Company. This brought additional specialist print processes in-house and enhanced capabilities.
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2010
The acquisition of Decca Print enabled the expansion into lithographic (litho) and digital printing.
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2013
We became incorporated as a company. The company moved to a modern corporate facility in Welcome House on the Charter Avenue Industrial Estate. Here we were able to consolidate the production and administration teams under one roof.
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2015
We formalised the ‘Group’ structure and created four specialist divisions under the Graphic Arts Group umbrella – Sign & Display, Print & Promotion, Corporate Print, and Label & Screenprint.
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2018
The Signage and graphics division was enhanced with an expanded range of wide-format print equipment and achievement of a range of industry accreditations.
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2020
We invested in more space and the premises was extended to increase warehousing and production capacity.
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2021
Providoré was acquired by the Group.
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2022
Merit Display was acquired by the Group bringing product display manufacturing expertise to the business.
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2023
Graphic Signs branched out as its own trading name, website portal, and social media presence.
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The Future
Growth and expansion continues at Graphic Arts Group.
Know what you want?
We understand sometimes you know what you’re looking for and you just want to start a quick conversation around promotional merchandise. Have a look at the merchandise catalogue and contact the team to get started.