Smith & Ouzman rebrands to Zunoma following MBO

(L-R) Phil and Dinah Ouzman are Zunoma's majority shareholders
(L-R) Phil and Dinah Ouzman are Zunoma's majority shareholders

Smith & Ouzman has rebranded to Zunoma six months after a management buyout was completed at the company.

The Eastbourne-based business, which specialises in security print and digital transformation, launched its new identity and branding yesterday (17 May).

It comes after Phil and Dinah Ouzman completed the MBO in November 2020, with previous joint owner Christopher Smith selling his shares to Phil and Dinah Ouzman.

The Ouzman family now owns the company in its entirety, and Phil and Dinah Ouzman are the majority shareholders.

On the choice of rebrand, Zunoma told Printweek that while it had considered many names based around describing its service, it decided to embrace a more modern approach to stand out from its competitors.

It said the meaning of Zunoma – an anagram of Ouzman – also represents idealism, intuition, generosity, creativity, wisdom, tolerance, and romance.

Owner and managing director Phil Ouzman said: “We are delighted to be rebranding as Zunoma. Having joined the business straight from school I have seen first-hand how the industry and our business has developed.

“This rebrand opens a new chapter for Zunoma and we are excited to build on our years of experience, expertise, and innovation to continue to serve clients around the world with the very best security products.”

The company said it had been “absolutely astounded and encouraged by all the supportive and complimentary feedback” on the rebrand, and that its team have embraced the change and “are excited and reinvigorated about our new identity”.

Over the last 12 months the business has also invested heavily in new software and print machinery. Its most recent addition was a Nipson VaryPress 200 web digital system, which the business said has increased its capacity and improved its efficiency for variable data production.

Zunoma currently employs 53 staff, including its international agents, and said it has experienced a 13% increase in turnover compared to Q4 2020.

The business is anticipating this rate of growth to continue through 2021 as it has implemented a strategic business growth plan. This has included investment in bringing in new skills; most recently a bid manager with a proven track record of completing successful tenders and increasing revenue.

While specifics on its current turnover were not disclosed, the company’s most recently filed accounts at Companies House, for the year ended 31 December 2019, showed a turnover of £4.26m, up marginally on the £4.25m recorded in 2018, and a pre-tax profit of around £50,000 in 2019.

Zunoma works across three factories with a total of 3,500sqm space and serves a variety of clients from FTSE 100 companies to banks and government departments globally. Founded in 1845, the business specialises in security documents such as ballot papers, certificates, and electronic payslip services.