Page 10 - Rushden Trader May 2018

Local Traders has grown from humble beginnings as a leaflet delivery service to
include a stable of three magazines and is now a one stop for local traders with
the recent addition of its design and print services, as the driving force behind
the expanding business, Nikki Walker, explains:
“The initial idea was to offer a leaflet delivery service to keep me busy - and
fit - for a few hours a week.
“When I excitedly took my first small order to deliver a thousand leaflets for a
local business in Corby called Oven Revive, my husband predicted it would be the
start of something big.
“And he wasn’t wrong - within a year, boxes of leaflets were taking over the house and I also had to take on a small
delivery team because managing the office and sorting the leaflets were becoming full time jobs on their own.

“We quickly realised we had hit on a rich seam as Corby was expanding
rapidly with new and exciting businesses opening every week, each needing to
get their messages out to their customers.
“We were also in the unique position of having a team of leaflet deliverers
who knew the town and villages - and its 28,000 letterboxes - like the back of
their hands.
“Launching Corby’s newest door to door delivered magazine seemed like the
next obvious, if daunting, step - so, in June 2012, we took what felt like a
massive plunge and the Corby Trader was born, closely followed by the Village
Trader in January 2013 and we are now launching the Rushden and Higham
Trader. This now increases our monthly letterboxes to 44,000 monthly.

“I was enjoying every minute of my working day - the business was expanding rapidly, I had a first class team
working alongside me, and the world - north Northamptonshire at least - seemed to be our oyster.
“But I knew I had also created a monster - and that monster was taking over every spare inch of the house and our
garage workroom. It was time for the next chapter - for our growing business to have its own office. So we moved
- lock, stock and van load - to modern, spacious, high-tec premises in Darwin Park on the brand new Corby Gate
Business Park, and that provided the launch pad for the continued expansion of the business, and an exciting new
addition to the family - a digital printing press
that allows us to print business cards, leaflets
and posters, complimenting the
design service we already
offer with the magazine
and enabling us to offer
a one stop shop for local
businesses.”

10 www.localtradersuk.com