Jeremy and Linda Weaver retired from the print industry at the end of June and their daughter Katie Weaver was keen to take the family name forwards into a new era of design, print, and graphics with her new company.
Cactus Graphics opened last Thursday (1 July), and is currently based at the same 1,115sqm site in Dover, Kent that Buckland had operated out of.
As managing director of the new entity, majority shareholder Weaver will oversee the business alongside commercial director Richard Archer, the company’s other shareholder.
Archer has worked in print for 26 years, spending 13 of those at Buckland where he held a number of roles – most recently as commercial manager.
While in education, Weaver had worked summer holidays in the bindery at Buckland and later in admin and marketing roles. She returned on a permanent basis around four years ago after graduating from university and most recently headed up estimating and purchasing areas.
The pair told Printweek they have spent the past month ensuring everything was ready for the launch of the new successor business and the crossover, ensuring all legalities were finalised, informing Buckland’s customers and suppliers, and getting the logos and branding ready.
Under the new company, Weaver and Archer said they would continue to offer Buckland’s extensive service offering across graphic design and the print of marketing, signage, and display materials, while extending its wide-format offering.
The business has launched with five staff, including Weaver and Archer, with plans in motion to take on two more in the areas of graphic design and warehousing.
It is operating an HP Latex 360, a 2.5m-wide Agfa Anapurna UV printer, and a Kongsberg CNC cutter on the wide-format side; and a Kodak Nexpress on the digital side, while also offering litho services. Early investments are set to include a new bookletmaker and a new MIS.
Weaver said: “Having worked side by side for many years at Buckland Media Group, both Richard and I share the same high standards of product quality and service delivery and pride ourselves on establishing long-term and flexible relationships with our clients.
“We are committed to carrying this company culture through to Cactus Graphics, and in extending our capability in large-format print we hope to attract more businesses with varied and high-speed print requirements – delivered at competitive prices.
“I am, therefore, really excited to be taking the Weaver family name into the new age of design, print and graphics and hope that in the years to come my parents will be proud of what we have achieved under our own entity of Cactus Graphics.”
Commenting on the company’s strategy, Archer added: “We’re definitely aiming that we’d like to take the business back to being largely Kent-based in the first year, and then we’d start to move back into the surrounding counties and London, but ultimately we want to be nationally recognised with our social media and marketing, and direct sales.”
The company’s key clients will include colleges and universities, developers in the construction industry, and marketing teams within large businesses.
