Celebrating 60 years of supporting businesses

Momentous year for Birmingham print company as they mark 60 years in business with ambitious plans for growth.

LG Davis, based in Kings Heath, which specialises in print, branded merchandise and office supplies, works with a variety of leading national companies, local SMEs and NHS Trusts. A family run second generation firm, they have now outlined plans to increase revenue to £5 million in the next three years.

With plans to increase support for local businesses the company has already taken on new staff including 4 apprentices and is on track to meet growth predictions this year.

Managing Director, Liz Smith, who was only a baby when her dad Ron O’Donnell started the company in 1962, said she was proud of how far the business had already come and was excited by the plans for the next few years as they celebate 60 years of business in the city.

“LG Davis started out as a small stationery shop in Balsall Heath,” said Liz.

“My dad dreamt of creating a business which offered a better way to procure office supplies and printing - a company that put the customer first and worked around them.

“60 years on and that vision still runs true in everything we do. Our business may have substantially grown but we still offer that same level of customer service you expect from a small family firm.

“The last few years have been tricky with the pandemic but we have seen ourselves come out stronger and are now very much looking forward to the future growth of the company.”

In the last few years alone LG Davis has acquired five new businesses and grown to become a multi-million pound enterprise supporting a mixture of local and national leading firms including National Express, Hayley Group PLC, NHS Trusts and UK Athletics.

Their continual expansion has helped to save specialist skills in Birmingham and they are one of only a handful of firms now offering encapsulation – to give documents a protective and wipeable cover which has been invaluable in the pandemic– as well as bespoke manila folders.

“One of the main reasons the business continues to thrive after 6 decades is our constant innovation and ability to adapt and change with the market,” said Liz, " and we are keen to forge closer links with more local companies as the business expands.

“For us Birmingham has always been our home and we are proud to support our local community. It is why we are always keen to support the next generation of workers as well as grow the workforce here in the city.”

LG Davis was started by Ron O’Donnell in October 1962. Opening in a small shop in Balsall Heath the company originally started out selling office products.

Since then the firm has continued to grow and now covers a variety of services including printing, branded merchandise, office supplies and furniture.

Now employing 46 staff LG Davis moved to their 25,000 sq ft base in Kings Heath in 2001.

Working closely with Aston University they are passionate about supporting servitization in the industry and have created a number of new services to help customers - including their own innovative stock and deliver service which allows customers to buy in bulk and store items for delivery as and when needed.