UKFT member Compass Labels Group has been manufacturing labels in Leicester since 1987, and UK production is increasingly what brands come to it for.
The company makes a wide range of labels and packaging at its own facility, with an in-house design studio on the same site. Artwork, sampling and manufacture happen under one roof, which is what allows short runs and repeat orders to turn around in days rather than weeks.
"The question we get asked most often now is whether we can make it here," says Kassim Khan, director at Compass Labels Group. "A few years ago it was almost always about price. Now it is about how fast, how small a run, and whether it can be repeated in-season without waiting on a container."
That shift is what UK production answers. A brand that has sold through faster than forecast, needs a size break re-labelled, or is testing a capsule range before committing to it, cannot work to an overseas minimum order quantity. Making it in Leicester takes the freight, the duty and the lead time out of the decision, and makes small quantities viable in the first place.
Alongside the UK facility, Compass runs a global sourcing network for work that is not economic to produce here at volume, high-detail damask weaving, leather patches, engraved metal plates and packaging in quantity. The company’s view is that brands should not have to choose between the two, or manage two suppliers to get both.
The full range covers woven and printed labels, care and composition labels, heat transfers, badges and patches, swing tags and tag locks, boxes, mailers and tissue, print, and branded merchandise. Compass is Fast Forward audited and FSC certified, holds stock to support brands through a season, and works with customers from single-label start-ups to national retailers.
The company has just published a new Product & Branding Guide covering the full range, and produces a physical sample pack so brands can handle the materials and finishes before placing an order.
We joined UKFT to get closer to the industry we supply. Regulation is moving quickly and most of it lands on our customers before it lands on us. Being part of UKFT means we can give brands straight answers rather than guesses, and learn from people working through the same problems.
