Ambitious – Laura Flood has outlined growth plans for C & A Embroidery .
SADDLED UP FOR
SUCCESS
First class embroidery and printing firm set for growth
WORDS : MARTIN WALKER PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
An ambitious young business that started out as an equine laundry firm is galloping towards growth after setting out ambitious plans .
C & A Embroidery and Print , based on Aycliffe Business Park , has invested in new machinery as it ramps up production .
Owner Laura Flood took the business over from her parents after completing a business degree two years ago .
C & A started out as an equine laundry and repair business , launched by Laura ’ s mum and dad , Chris and Andrea , who washed and embroidered horse rugs for clients .
Laura completed a two-year IT apprenticeship while working part-time for her parents before studying a leadership and business management degree , qualifying with first class honours in 2018 , while she continued to run the business .
Now she ’ s flying solo , and took on her first machine operator a year ago . She has also recently invested in three additional embroidery machines and a new print facility to increase capacity .
“ We now have more capacity and we ’ re ready to expand ,” says Laura , originally from Sedgefield who now lives in Staindrop .
“ I chose Aycliffe because we saw it as a great opportunity to work with such a diverse range of businesses . We work with clients from all kinds of sectors – we love what we do , and we ’ re hoping to work with more Aycliffe businesses as we continue our growth .”
C & A , based at the Flexspace units off Durham Way South , can accommodate small , one-off requests as well as large bulk orders for clients .
They currently work with a number of firms on Aycliffe Business Park , including ALM Products , Collins Seafood , Haystacks Nursery , South West Durham Training , Optimum Skills and Beaumont Landscapes , and has also completed large orders for a major health care provider .
“ We also provide leisurewear for Darlington Football Club , workwear for Nicholson ’ s Hi- AB and PDQ Engineering and corporate wear for Stuart Hall Accountants , to name but a few ,” adds Laura .
C & A have provided the entire range of clothing for Sedgefield Rugby Club including on the pitch items such as match shirts , shorts , socks and tracksuits to everything off the pitch including bespoke club blazers , woven ties and corporate shirts .
“ We ’ ve also recently worked on 450 tunics for Perfect Care , based in Spennymoor , which demonstrates our ability to complete large orders and has been our biggest project to
Hard-working – C & A Embroidery work with a number of firms on Aycliffe Business Park , including ALM Products , Collins Seafood , Haystacks Nursery , South West Durham Training and Beaumont Landscapes .
date ,” Laura says .
C & A provides an in-house embroidery and printing service as well as supplying a vast range of clothing such as workwear , corporate and hospitality and sports and leisure wear , all of which can be embroidered or printed .
Outlining her future plans , Laura adds : “ We ’ re ambitious and we have plans to take on another member of staff in the next 12 months .
“ We ’ re also aiming to expand our premises with more machinery so we can further increase our capacity as our orders grow .
“ We ’ re passionate about what we do and we think that shines through in the quality of our work and our customers ’ satisfaction .
“ We ’ re excited about the next chapter for the business .”
C & A Embroidery and Print Unit 13 , Evans Business Centre , Durham Way South , Aycliffe Business Park DL5 6ZF T : 07740 031655 / 01740 657831 E : laura @ caembroidery . co . uk W : caembroidery . co . uk
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 29