B2B full-service agency The Armstrong Partnership has reported a record year of business with 117% growth in turnover exceeding £3.4 million for the year ending 31st December 2021.
The agency, which works with world-leading industrial brands such as Encirc, Kawneer and Sorg, has also given a new lease of life to The Old Post Office in Chester city centre, making a significant investment into the refurbishment of the landmark building to create a new home for the 45-strong agency team on St John Street.
CEO of The Armstrong Partnership, Daniel Owen, said: “In 2021 we achieved phenomenal revenue growth, 66% of which came from clients outside the UK. We have ambitions to reach sales of £10m in the next five years with further investment in our people, key services and technology. We also want to increase our international reach, continuing our expansion across North America and mainland Europe where we know there’s huge opportunity for growth.”
The business acquired The Old Post Office, originally built in 1876, in December 2019 and has renovated the interior and exterior of the three-storey building to a high specification.
At 12,000 square feet the ground and first floor studio space comprise open plan working areas, amphitheatre, bar and kitchen, multiple breakout spaces and a photography studio. Further workspaces have been developed on the second and third floor, along with two smaller units on the lower ground floor.
“The Old Post Office is an important part of Chester’s history. It’s an iconic building and we’re privileged to be the ones responsible for its next chapter. The refurbishment has been a labour of love that has not only restored this building to its former glory externally, but also created a high-end workspace internally where we’ve preserved several of its original features,” Daniel added.
“After a long period of time working remotely, we wanted to create a space that’s all about collaboration and creativity – putting our team at the centre of the office design. We’ve created an amphitheatre area for presentations, training and knowledge sharing as well as multiple break out and meeting spaces. We’ve also built a bespoke photography studio in the basement that will allow us to further develop our service offering for clients.”
The refit has been completed using products from Armstrong’s many industrial sector clients, including a statement front door from Kawneer, Egger UK products in the bar and kitchen area, Clayton Glass in the windows and Kerrock surface acrylic, which is distributed by Armstrong client Amari Plastics.
The agency team continues to grow at pace, with 20 new employees across its creative, commercial and client services teams joining in 2021 and plans to increase its headcount further in 2022.
Daniel added: “We now have a large CGI and motion team and produce photorealistic animations for some very complex machines and processes. With multiple projects running through the studio, we’re investing in a custom-built render farm to grow our capacity for the future. We’re also expanding our web and 3D integration possibilities with product configurators and interactive product experiences that utilise both our CGI and web capabilities. This is something that has grown in demand during the pandemic as travel has been restricted and remote demonstrations have become more commonplace. In addition, we’re also seeking a small acquisition to bolster our technology portfolio and service offer.”
Founded in 1991, The Armstrong delivers brand strategy and development, creative services, digital, and CGI and motion projects for its international B2B client base.
