Print-on-demand merchandise platform Merchr has bolstered its team with three new recruits.
Dan Delew has joined as partnerships manager, while Ariel Or and Titilayo Salau join as graphic designers.
Merchr, which has its production facility in Middleton, Greater Manchester, and a second office in London, enables individuals and groups to create and sell their own merchandise collections.
Delew has five years of marketing experience, mainly in the retail sector. He has joined Merchr from premium fashion chain Tessuti, and also previously worked at Regatta Group sportswear brand Dare2b and Tech Nation.
His role at Merchr involves forging new partnerships with retailers, sports clubs, visitor attractions and others as well as with product suppliers, to spearhead further growth for the business.
Merchr co-founder and director Nora Yassin said: “As a company focused on supporting retailers and brands, we recognised the need to recruit someone with hands-on experience in the retail sector. Dan’s expertise in this industry will be a huge asset to the business. His arrival gives us the opportunity to forge even more impactful high-level partnerships.
“Our strategy is for Merchr to become a broad marketplace, and we believe that the way to achieve this is through partnerships – with suppliers to add more products and with the likes of retailers, visitor attractions and sports clubs.”
She added: “Investing in talented graphic designers ensures that we are moving forward in the right direction and aligning with our growth goals by raising our brand presence and creating a competitive edge. Crafting compelling on-brand visuals and content that capture the attention of our Merchr users is an important part of this strategy. Current projects include packaging, marketing materials, branding concepts, product designs and more.”
The latest appointments mean Merchr now has a team of 20, and further recruitment is under way for a variety of roles, including a web developer and an e-commerce channel manager.
Merchr has recently expanded its product range with towels, blankets, mugs, placemats, coasters, canvas prints and hot water bottles in a partnership with supplier Jondo, and clothing for children and babies in a partnership with Snuggle.
Its range of merchandise also features hoodies, t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets and hats, tote and make-up bags, back packs and messenger bags, power banks and earphones, desk and office items such as notebooks, pens, pencils, pouches and highlighters, water bottles, tumblers and souvenirs.
Merchr was set up by an experienced team backed by Martin Varley, a well-known senior executive in the personalised products industry. The platform enables users to create and launch a free online store by designing and uploading customised product collections with artwork, a logo, slogan or an image. Alternatively, they can connect an existing website via Merchr’s integrations with e-commerce platforms such as WooCommerce, and soon Shopify.
Merchr helps individuals and groups – from charities, visitor attractions, clubs, societies and schools to musicians and other entertainers, sports people, entrepreneurs and YouTubers – to build their brand and reach new audiences by creating merchandise stores to sell to fans, friends and followers in an eco-friendly, risk-free way without the need to hold stock or worry about the logistics of production, printing and shipping.
Merchandise store owners choose their own prices to cover the cost of each product, with printing and drop-shipping by Merchr. Once an order is placed, Merchr’s software delivers print-ready artwork directly to the Middleton facility which is equipped with the latest digital printing, direct-to-garment, direct-to-film and laser engraving machinery. Products are dispatched within 24 hours.
