The North West – A

The North West – A Region of Great Potential

The North West has long been delivering a hefty percentage of economic impact to the overall Northern Ireland economy. Emma Deighan talks to three entrepreneurial players that make the region competitive.

Chris Gray, Director of Gray’s Communications.

From Magee University to the North West Regional College and a host of businesses with lengthy heritages, the North West has been a significant contributor to many industries here and globally.

In recent years its reputation for fast-evolving tech has contributed to its strength as a destination of business strength.

Invest NI says in the last five years alone, over 620 businesses there sought its help to support exporting plans, helping, it said, generate nearly £380m of investment.

And launched in February 2021, the City Deal and Inclusive Future Fund, the largest ever single investment package by government into the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, will further strengthen the offering in the region.

It has been described as an historic and exciting intervention that will contribute to building a stronger, more competitive, resilient and inclusive economy, delivering higher paid jobs and contributing to creating a more regionally-balanced economy over the coming years.

Cormac Diamond, managing director at Bloc Group, which includes Bloc Blinds and more recently the FAST Technologies – which develops bespoke technical solutions for a global client base including DuPont, Unilever, Caterpillar and Seagate – has been providing window covering solutions to a host of clients globally since 2006.

He says the group’s new relationship with FAST “typifies the entrepreneurial spirit which is commonplace in Northern Ireland”, particularly in the North West.

Cormac’s firm’s focus on R&D and leading-edge manufacturing processes has helped it create new concepts in window blinds and skylight solutions and allowed it to be a major exporter in window covering solutions.

“To some extent we’ve revolutionised the market – taking blinds from being standard window coverings to stylish home accessories which improve sleep quality and enhance energy efficiency and are safe by design, offering peace of mind for parents of young children and carers of the vulnerable,” he says.

The Bloc Group employs a workforce of approximately 350 at its headquarters in Magherafelt and across its divisions in Belfast, Derry, the Netherlands and the USA.

Its first major retailer was John Lewis and since then it has supplied blinds commercially to large organisations such as Emirates, Google and Barkley’s.

Its e-commerce site is also thriving.

Cormac adds: “The innovation journey continues. We’ve scaled the business significantly and collaborated with like-minded companies, enabling us to branch into different sectors, including healthcare.”

The firm has also launched a new spinout company, Bloc Labs, to design, test and develop the next generation of consumer technology products and experiences for global markets.

Discussing the vibrancy of industry in the North West, he continues: “The region has matured dramatically over recent years, boosted substantially by both foreign and direct investment. It has a world-class talent pool and thriving industry clusters including digital and technology, health and life sciences. Major infrastructure initiatives such as the £226million A6 Dualling Project, will only further enhance connectivity and offer even more scope to the North West.

“We are proud to be part of its great business community, and we want to help support it and grow with it.”

“I believe businesses in the North West are much more resilient than most, purely out of necessity. It can be argued that infrastructure and general employment opportunities are below par this side of the Bann but that’s starting to be addressed which is a huge positive and as a region I wholeheartedly believe that we on the precipice of a new dawn.”

Cormac Diamond, Managing Director at Bloc Group.

Meanwhile Hunter Apparel, the corporate workwear product provider, which also flaunts two proprietary software solutions that have “transformed how our clients manage their uniform and PPE assets”, is keeping the textile heritage synonymous with the North West alive.

Over its almost nine decades, it has evolved from being a men’s tailor to the industry leader in technology-driven professional clothing and PPE managed services.

It has a team of 55 staff across the UK and Ireland and has also diversified to offer two proprietary software solutions that “have transformed how our clients manage their uniform and PPE assets”.

Talking about the business and its base in the North West, Simon Hunter, chief executive officer, says: “This region has a long heritage in the textile sector and as such there are indigenous skills here for us to utilise. Our clients love to visit this wonderful, vibrant city space with fabulous restaurants, music and pubs. Most of those people make the North West a holiday destination for their families once they get a taste of it.

“Northern Ireland has a significant reputation in the professional clothing industry and, in UK terms, a substantial percentage of the sector is based here. Some of the industry’s most successful companies are based in Northern Ireland.”

He reflects on the distance the region has made over the years and how that will serve its future, adding: “I was born here in 1970, and things weren’t great in many respects. It seems that the city has developed so much since City of Culture. There is definitely a tech thing happening here and some great indigenous entrepreneurs have driven that. There is also a creative, cultural aspect to this city which I love. Great people living in a beautiful creative space is bound to generate more entrepreneurial spirit as time moves on.”

Thriving outside of the fashion sphere is Gray’s Communications in Derry’s Science Park. It is a six-year-old marketing company that is working with clients as far afield as Australia.

Director Chris Gray describes the firm’s niche as “a wrap-around support service including marketing strategy, campaign work, branding, event management, media buying and planning, communications support and digital development”. He says: “I believe businesses in the North West are much more resilient than most, purely out of necessity. It can be argued that infrastructure and general employment opportunities are below par this side of the Bann, but that’s starting to be addressed which is a huge positive, and as a region I wholeheartedly believe that we are on the precipice of a new dawn.

“The return of large-scale festivals and events is important as they put our city in the spotlight globally and celebrate everything that’s great about the North West region. This, coupled with the recent good news stories of growth in key emerging sectors and the now approved City Deal, will see this region finally lift itself to the level it needs to be operating at and it’s long overdue. We are hopeful we will get an opportunity to reap the rewards of what’s to come and it is important our local businesses who have helped stimulate that growth benefit directly.”

Chris’ enthusiasm for the North West’s future echoes in the recent success of his own firm. Despite the pandemic, it has beckoned new clients from far and wide.

“In the last 12 months the company has serviced clients as far as Australia and we work with public, private and thirdsector organisations. With only 15% of the company’s existing client base from the North West, Gray’s has travelled far and wide to generate the business which has sustained its rapid growth,” he says.

“The region has matured dramatically over recent years, boosted substantially by both foreign and direct investment. It has a world-class talent pool and thriving industry clusters including digital and technology, health and life sciences.”