Happy birthday to us

On 23 August it’s our 15th birthday

Our story started in August 2004, just a few months after Facebook was set up. (OK, so our growth has been a little slower, but world domination is still on the agenda.)

Over the years some things have changed, like the growing number of happy faces in our office. But much has stayed the same. We still hold true to our commitment to helping UK businesses find the right office supplies at the right price.

As a business, we think it’s really important to recognise successes and landmark moments. And we don’t just do it every 15 years. Every month, at our town hall meeting we take time to announce people’s birthdays (as well as give them a cake and card on the day). We also give out length of service awards to people who’ve stuck it out with us! We think it’s really important to celebrate success.

Time for some nostalgia

When we began in 2004 the world was quite a different place, especially for technology. Fifteen years ago we were all clutching Nokias, or if you were really high-tech you had a Blackberry. (How did we live in a world without smartphones?)

Musically speaking, we were listening to the dulcet tones of Norah Jones, and the slightly less sweet voice of Usher.

On TV we were watching a businessman called Donald Trump in the first series of the Apprentice. (Hasn’t he moved on in the world!) Everyone was reading the Da Vinci Code and looking for conspiracy theories around every corner.

And do you remember Janet Jackson’s unfortunate wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl half time show? That was this year.

And finally…

Here are some stationery milestones we’ve achieved over the past 15 years.

• Stack ‘em high. If you piled all the box files we’ve sold on top of one another, they would reach the top of Mont Blanc (the mountain, not the pen).

• Have a good read. If you filled all the bookcases we’ve sold, you could house all the books from 150 school libraries.

• Laying it down. Our customers have bought over 750 million sheets of A4 paper; enough to cover an area the size of the Maldives.

• Take note. We’ve sold enough Post-it notes to circle the world.

On that note, we’re all off to celebrate with a slice of cake (and maybe a glass of bubbles). Cheers!

PS Look out for more birthday fun on 23rd August!