Findel reveals major rebrand and announces ambitious expansion plans story

January 2022

Findel Education has undergone a major rebrand to enable the expansion of our current service offer for educators and provide the platform for sustainable growth. We are now called Findel, and our education brands Hope, GLS, Phillip Harris and Davies Sports have also been rebranded. Findel’s origins as an educational resources supplier can be traced back to 1817. Today, our brands and websites offer more than 32,000 products to educators and parents based in the UK and overseas with the business exporting to 130 countries. Our new brand positioning line following the rebrand, which reflects our heritage and future evolution, is ‘Growing education for generations.’ At the same time as the rebrands, we will be actively expanding our service offer during 2022 through new initiatives and acquisitions of complementary education sector businesses.

Findel was acquired in April last year from Studio Retail Group plc following a management buy-out (MBO) supported by private equity firm Endless.

Chris Mahady, Findel’s chief executive, said: “Since the MBO, independent ownership has allowed us to shape the business as we want and begin to realise its full potential.

“The rebrand project is a critical element of achieving that goal and it heralds a bright new dawn for Findel. This was not simply about refreshing some logos, it was about undertaking a thorough strategic review of our business over a six-month period.

“We now have a new strategy, vision and direction that will drive us towards becoming a highly successful, multi-faceted, national and international education resources business and a trusted and valued partner to our customers.

“What we have done has energised and inspired everyone at the company. Colleagues now fully understand our business and brands and, most importantly, what they mean to our customers. We now have a collective purpose, clarity and strength about who we are and what we do.

“This will play a huge role in the delivery of our expansion plans as we launch new initiatives, products and services to achieve our ambitious growth plans for the benefit of educators worldwide.”

The rebranding programme brings together a clear and distinct modern set of customer-facing educational resources brands sitting under one corporate brand of Findel.

All the brands are unified in their commitment to setting and achieving market-leading sustainable practices and standards.

Chris continued: “The rebranding process involved distilling our brands’ distinct qualities and points of difference so we can communicate them clearly with direction, both internally and externally. This, in turn, will underpin our sustainable national and international growth plans.

“Most importantly, it means we have made buying easier for schools through great websites, increased convenience and enhanced procurement tools, all of which are underpinned by fantastic service.”

Since the MBO, and in addition to the rebrand project, we have implemented a multi-million pound investment programme.

Initiatives include recruiting 30 more people to cope with increased demand in key areas such as technology and digital marketing, transforming the office accommodation in Hyde and Nottingham and developing new digital and ecommerce technologies alongside a new inventory management system.

At the same time, we have continued to improve customer experience and distribution centre systems to meet new customer requirements whilst supporting overall growth.