Hollywood Monster expands digital division

The Birmingham-based signs and graphic specialist has taken on eight new recruits in response to a predicted 1m increase in turnover this year.

The new staff include sales manager Dan Whitford, sales executive Chris Kelly, project manager Mike Clarke, quality manager Richard Green, business development manager Richard Hinckley, installation manager Steve Allen, project manager Paul Marsh and senior creative designer Brad Davies.

The appointments bring the company’s workforce up to 80.

Managing director Tim Andrews attributed the anticipated £1m increase in sales, which will bring the company’s turnover to £6.5m, to winning new contracts and making the company more efficient.

He said: "We are investing in our digital division as our market share is expanding and we are putting people in place to service it.

"Our increase in turnover is partly due to winning a £1m Olympics contract to dress Westfield shopping centre with branding from the event’s official sponsors; however, it is also due to what we see as a rebounding market and the fact that we are emerging from recession in a better place than we were when it started."

The company has invested £2m in new equipment over the past three years with new installations including EFI Vutek flatbeds and HP roll-to-roll machines and Andrews said it aims to hit the £10m turnover mark within the next two years.

Hollywood Monster has ongoing contracts with companies such as Westfield and Next as and has achieved success in the housing sector by working with businesses such as Barratt Developments and Lovell Homes.

The company was given further cause for celebration on Saturday after Birmingham City Ladies Football Club, which it has sponsored for the past two years, beat Chelsea Ladies to win the Women’s FA Cup.

The company’s mascot joined the team at a training session on Friday before the match and on the pitch before the start of the final.

Andrews added: "We were delighted when Birmingham City Ladies won the FA Cup, we were thrilled for the team and it gave our company a lot of great exposure."