Growth Hub visits successful Stratford business in the countdown to its special anniversary

A leading shop fitting and office interiors company in Stratford-upon-Avon is celebrating its 25th anniversary by thanking a business support organisation which is looking ahead to its own special birthday.

Steve Lewis took the plunge to set-up ICM in 1998 and the business now employs 50 staff between its head office in Timothy’s Bridge Road and its top-of-the-range joinery workshop in The Courtyard in Snitterfield.

The business has switched from focusing on retail to designing, creating and delivering bespoke fit-outs for food and fast-food outlets and franchises throughout the UK and Europe as well as exhibition stand fittings, bespoke joinery, electrical contracting, and maintenance and repair services.

One of the key moments in its 25-year history was receiving a grant towards buying a five-axis CNC machine with help from Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub – which will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year.

Steve Lewis, Managing Director of ICM, said he had never expected to grow the business so rapidly when he started out.

“The biggest growth in the last few years has been made possible with a machine we bought after receiving a grant with help from the Growth Hub,” he said.

“The five-axis machine was delivered over Christmas in 2019 and we have been able to take on extra and more specialised work ever since. If we hadn’t bought this machine, we wouldn’t have secured our contracts with major fast-food restaurants over the last few years.

“Since Covid, orders have been flooding in because of the rise in popularity of fast-food deliveries which has also led to an increase in sales through drive-thrus as well.

“Having the trustworthy advice and support of the Growth Hub has been invaluable because the team understand manufacturing and the Midlands is one of the fastest growth areas for manufacturing in the UK.

“We are a good local employer since many of our employees live in Stratford-upon-Avon and that support to the local economy will continue.”

Gary Thyeson, Head of Operations at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, has worked with Steve since 2018.

“We have helped Steve with various grants over the years for additional machinery and energy efficient lighting and heating as well as providing advice and guidance on apprenticeships and general strategic support,” he said.

“This underlines the importance of cultivating relationships and our support assisted ICM with their growth strategy and allowed them to expand their offering, bringing large production elements in-house rather than being outsourced.

“It’s important that SMEs such as ICM contact the Growth Hub because we are recognised as the central point for collating the latest support on offer and save businesses from having to research support.

“We are able to quickly identify barriers to growth and provide information on programmes that are available from a wide range of sources since we keep up-to-date with developments in the support ecosystem. This frees up time for businesses to concentrate on what they are good at.”

Craig Humphrey, CEO at CW Growth Hub, added: “It was great to return to ICM in Snitterfield and see the difference the grants have made to its day-to-day operations and its success in winning contracts with high-street chains as well as small independent shops.

“Celebrating 25 years in business is a fantastic achievement, particularly taking into account the pandemic. With the Growth Hub looking forward to our tenth anniversary next year, this visit underlines the difference we have made and are continuing to make to businesses throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.”