More than doubling their turnover since the pandemic, they were recently ranked 4th out of 100 of the fastest growing SME’s in the Solent region.
The business has invested in excess of £750,000 in new machinery and facilities, providing a fantastic platform for further expansion and enabling them to meet demand from a growing number of international customers. This week they celebrated their move, and there was quite a turnout to mark the occasion!
Mar-Key Group Founder and Chairman David Tabb opened the event to welcome guests and staff, and spoke about their humble beginnings. Having previously made boat sails, David turned his hand to designing his own range of temporary structure product, and in 1991 Mar-Key Marquees was born. Fast forward to today, no longer are they suppling to weddings and parties, but Mar-Key Group is building space for some of the most recognisable brands both in the UK and globally via their Events and Structure Solutions divisions.
Next to the stage was Henry Beaver, CEO of Beaver Bridges and non-executive Board Member of Made in Britain. Henry spoke passionately of British manufacturing and its importance to the economy, and how fantastic it was for Mar-Key Group to be making such a large move. Henry shared results from the 4th annual Made in Britain Buying British Survey which said that 58% of consumers prefer to buy UK-manufactured products over alternatives imported from other countries, and 61% of businesses say that seeing the mark on a product makes them more inclined to purchase it. He also spoke about the recent news that Britain has now overtaken France as the world’s eighth largest manufacturer, reiterating the importance of publicity and the work of Made in Britain.
To echo both David and Henry’s speeches, Member of Parliament Sir Christopher Chope OBE stepped onto the stage. Sir Chris spoke with much enthusiasm for the new manufacturing facility and the positive impact it will have both locally and to Dorset as a whole. He was surprised by the scale of the business operations, and having met David Tabb many years ago, has seen the evolution of Mar-Key Group and just how far the business has come.
Last but by no means least and much to the delight of all in attendance, the Mayor of Christchurch Cllr Vivienne Charrett ensured our celebrations were marked in style by cutting the red ribbon to officially open the Manufacturing Facility. Vivienne was thrilled to have a tour of the site and understand Mar-Key Group’s capabilities. Having studied engineering and continuing to have a keen interest in engineering processes and machinery, her enthusiasm for the event was particularly special.
A fantastic range of guests and suppliers joined the celebration, with representatives from the Department for Business & Trade, Dorset Chamber, Enhanced IT, GTF, HSBC, Hilti, Lester Aldridge, Lewis Manning and Pulse8. Photos were taken, glasses (and coffees) were raised and networking continued at the event which was a real celebration of Mar-Key Group’s new home in Christchurch, Dorset.
Mar-Key Group design, manufacture and build Temporary Structures for events and commercial clients. Their impressive client base ranges from Royal Ascot and Southampton International Boatshow to National Grid and Tesco. To find out more about their new facility, products or employment opportunities, contact 01202 577111, team@mar-key.com or visit www.mar-key.com .
