A leading Yorkshire-based manufacturer is celebrating helping Marks & Spencer increase magazine sales by over 40 per cent.

In addition Bartuf, a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative retail display solutions, marked a successful 2009 by helping several household name retailers to secure top prizes in a prestigious industry award scheme. 

Bartuf, which has premises in Leeds and Hull, provided equipment which enabled   Marks & Spencer, Rippleglen and Martin McColl to take top honours in the 2009 Magsell Awards, which recognise retailers who demonstrated excellence in driving and developing magazine sales during 2009.

Bartuf’s magazine displays at the Marks & Spencer tills won the Best Sales and Marketing Initiative award. The company’s equipment has allowed the retailer to move the magazines to this impulse purchase location at 450 stores, leading to an increase in sales of 40 per cent in the three months following the change.

Marks & Spencer has been a Bartuf customer for six years and the company’s equipment is now installed in 490 of its 600 UK stores. The retailer receives more than 21 million visitors a week and employs 75,000 staff.  

David Stephens, Head of D-Cipher Marketing, the consultants which handle Marks & Spencer’s magazine category, said: “We have operated in partnership with Bartuf for six years, developing innovative sales initiatives. The challenge for Marks & Spencer was to create a display compelling enough to catch the customer's eye but allow sensible replenishment levels in the busy, high footfall area of the tills.

“We were extremely pleased that Bartuf delivered on this difficult brief with speed, accuracy and efficiency and are delighted this success story was recognised in the Magsell awards.”

In addition, Bartuf customers Martin McColl and Rippleglen won the Best Multiple Magazine Retailer accolades for large and small companies respectively in the Magsell awards, which were announced late last year.  

Brentwood-based Martin McColl operates the UK’s largest convenience/newsagent chain, containing over 900 stores. It also has 300 convenience and more than 100 high street outlets. It has used Bartuf as its preferred supplier for news and magazines for 10 years and the company is currently undertaking a project to roll out equipment across 300 of its sites.

Birmingham-based Rippleglen operates 150 CTN store, in town and city centres and bus station locations throughout England and Wales. These mainly trade under the names Arden News, Supernews and Newshops. Bartuf has supplied the group since 2004 and its equipment can be found in over half of its outlets.   

Steve Davenport, managing director of Bartuf, said: “It’s always extremely satisfying to help any customer realise its goals. We understand displays don’t just need to look good, they need to be practical, easy for staff to maintain, and, most importantly, deliver real results too. That’s why it’s so great to see Marks & Spencer seeing such fantastic sales increases. The fact that three of our many high-profile customers achieved Magsell 2009 awards just serves to make our hard work all the more worthwhile. We look forward to working with 100 per cent of the winners this year!”

Founded in 1995, the Bartuf Group is based in Holbeck, Leeds and has production facilities in the city’s Armley district and Hull. It has several specialist divisions, including Bartuf Systems, which supplies facilities for magazines, newspapers, snacks, greetings cards, books, multimedia and queue management, among other purposes. Bartuf Solutions provides full project management, complementing the group’s manufacturing and design capabilities, while Bartuf Graphics offers a one-stop solution for branded retail display systems and in-store promotions. The group employs 70 people and has a turnover of £7 million.