Fast-growing Wrexham printer business eyes up Liverpool expansion

A fast-growing Wrexham-based photocopier and printer business has made a big signing as it expands into Merseyside.

Rawson Digital, on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, have appointed John Baccino as non-executive director as part of plans to open a new office in Liverpool.

They intend to have their new base up and running within weeks and could employ up to six staff within the first 12 months.

The company is part of the Rawson Group, headed by Vaughn Rawson and which also includes Rawson EV Power, which specialises in Solar, EV Charging and renewable energy.

John, 57, who started work at 17 as an apprentice typewriter and copier mechanic for B&M Office Machines, servicing and repairing office equipment at businesses around Merseyside, later moved into sales and then he and two colleagues took part in a management buyout 20 years ago.

He became managing director, heading the company which tripled its turnover to over £6 million and in 2020 sold it to the ASL Group.

By that time it had grown from three employees to 50 with a client list that included not just schools and colleges such as Liverpool John Moores University and businesses like Rolls Royce and Arriva but also the Catholic Church in the city.

Vaughn Rawson said: “We have been looking to expand our operations and having an office in Liverpool gives us a base to operate across Merseyside, the Wirral and along the M62 corridor to Manchester.

“Asking John to join us makes perfect sense because we have the same customer-focused attitude to our business, we have a mutual respect and there’s simply no better person to help us expand in that area.

“He can advise us on where to be based and on recruitment as we will be looking to recruit a complete new team.

“We both believe in being absolutely customer focused. The customer is very, very important to us. We believe in contracts that work for them and in return they have supported us.”

John, originally from Kirkby, said: “The most important thing for me as the director of a company is that your biggest asset is your integrity and that’s why this partnership feels right.

“I’ve been on the journey that Rawson Digital are on and I made a lot of mistakes along the way and I aim to help them grow the business and avoid those mistakes.

“I can help them out with information about the Merseyside area, where to base yourself, where to recruit staff and I will sit in on board meetings and help identify opportunities for growth.

“We grew our business from £2 million to £6 million so we have been on the journey that Rawson want to go on and hopefully we can help them with our knowledge of the region.

“Our biggest markets were local authorities and the Catholic Church. In Liverpool the church prints everything from the weekly newsletter to orders of service.

“But office equipment is a simple business because every company you contact needs it so you can start at A in the business directory and work your way through to Z.

“I’ve known Vaughn Rawson for over ten years and I know we share the same business ethos and I believe there is a real opportunity for him in the Merseyside area.

“We were very much a family in the way our business was run and the same is true of Rawson Digital and I’m sure I can help him be as successful on Merseyside as he has been in North Wales.”

Rawson Digital was founded by Vaughn Rawson in 2012 on the back of his 35 years experience in the business and has since grown to employ over 30 staff as it has expanded to include renewable energy installation including solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

The Rawson Group, who sponsor Wrexham Football Club, are based at The Bridge Business Centre, in the heart of the Wrexham Industrial Estate.