New year predictions: Simon Moore, Eclipse

2017 has been a year of change for the Eclipse managing director, after he sold and merged his business with GI Solutions Group in February to create an £80m-plus business. However, he believes one thing remains constant: the need to promote the benefits of print.

What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2018 and why?
GDPR. There are great opportunities to use print and direct mail to continue to contact customers. We’re working on ways to supply our customers with more targeted mail ideas.

What do you think will represent the single biggest threat for printers in 2018 and why?
GDPR. It can be perceived by customers as something that will stop them marketing.

What’s the one thing that the industry should do more of, or do better, in 2018?
Promote the benefits of print. Particularly these days, when everyone struggles to keep up with emails, print stands out and should be used more.

What was your biggest disappointment in 2017?
Nothing. It was a great year.

What was your highlight of 2017?
Joining forces with GI. We’re both market leaders and together we make a stronger, more robust business with an even better product range which gives our customers even greater marketing ideas. We are also getting to work with a lot of experienced, professional people who care about what they do.

Will the coming GDPR regulations turn out to be good news for our industry?
Absolutely. Print and mail are the stand out answer to the concerns about GDPR.

What was the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Charles Grant Salmon told me, your first profit is your best profit and that is still true.

What’s your favourite Christmas cracker joke?
Q: What did Adam say the day before Christmas?
A: "It's Christmas Eve"