Merchr, a print-on-demand merchandise platform, has received a £250,000 investment enabling it to expand its services to its growing customer base, which includes visitor attractions, online brands, and retailers. To support this expansion, the company is also hiring for various new roles, such as back-end and front-end web developers, marketing staff, and e-commerce employees required at their production facility in Middleton, Manchester. Merchr was founded by an experienced team supported by Martin Varley, a well-known executive in the personalised products industry. The company raised an additional £350,000 in a pre-seed fundraising round earlier this year. The platform allows individuals and groups to build their brands while reaching new audiences, without the need for holding stock or worrying about the logistics of production, printing, and shipping.
In line with its expansion, Merchr has invested in new equipment, including a flatbed printer machine capable of printing 60 notebooks simultaneously, a 360-degree cylinder printer machine that can manufacture 250 water bottles or flasks per hour, a GraphTec cutting plotter, a laser-guided dual heat pressing printer, and a 360-degree heat press machine for hats. These machines allow for a significant improving of production capacity and the provision of higher quality products, including varnish finishes. Advancements in technology have opened doors to a new era of sustainable merchandise printing, and Merchr is excited to embrace this innovative machinery because it aligns perfectly with its goal of minimizing its environmental footprint while delivering quality products for its users. The company’s portfolio of products includes clothing, hats, phone cases, placemats, mugs, blankets, canvas prints, hot water bottles, tote bags, and many others.
Merchr’s platform is aimed at organisations, individuals, and online retailers such as schools, universities, charities, clubs and societies, tourist sites, bands, gamers, podcasters, YouTubers, sportspeople, and entrepreneurs. Users can create and launch a free online store through the Merchr Hub, where they can design and upload customised collections with artwork, slogans, logos, or images, and they can also integrate an existing website via Merchr’s integrations with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce. Merchandise store owners choose their own prices to cover the cost of each product, printing, and drop-shipping by Merchr, plus their own profit. The company’s software delivers print-ready artwork directly to its Middleton facility for production, and items are dispatched within 24 hours. Merchr’s print-on-demand model fosters more sustainable practices by reducing waste since merchandise store owners do not have to hold any stock. The company uses organic cotton in its garments, BPA-free plastic bottles, and water-based inks.
