Agency round-up: Garnet PR and Agency51

Boutique agency, Garnet PR, is marking its first year in business by expanding its team to support a growing client roster.

Based in Leeds but operating nationally, the firm specialises in PR for rural lifestyle & tourism brands that connect people with heritage, nature and the countryside, as well as supporting regional clients in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and further afield.

In its first year alone, the agency secured more than 500 pieces of niche, national and regional press coverage for a range of clients, including rural lifestyle businesses and outdoor attractions across the country.

Founder and PR director, Rhiannon Bates, who established Garnet PR in early 2019, is now expanding her team to take on the growing demand for the agency’s PR and coaching services.

This includes the appointment of virtual assistant, Emilia Capper (of My Assistant Emilia), to help with the day-to-day running of the business, and PR assistant, Hannah Leach (of Hawthorn House Virtual Assistants), who brings with her 15 years of PR experience to support with the rapidly expanding portfolio of clients.

Bates has also built a team of associates across web development, graphic design, digital marketing, photography and print, to ensure the branding and marketing needs of all clients are met.

She said: “I started the agency with the main focus of making PR accessible to all rural businesses, outdoor attractions and charities.

“From one-man-bands through to popular, thriving visitor attractions and much-loved brands, I can confidently say we’ve achieved that already.

“In the past year, we’ve helped our clients secure amazing media coverage, grow their social media channels and develop their digital marketing strategies.

“And it’s not just about the numbers; many of our clients have shared the direct impact that working with us has had on their sales, business growth and, most importantly, them as business owners.

“Helping people to give their brand a voice and in turn grow their own confidence is the most fulfilling thing about what we do. We’re not in it for the numbers.

“I always wanted the business to make a real impact on the people we work with; the founders, the workers, the visitors and the customers.”

:::

Agency51 has launched a new BigCommerce website on behalf of Warrendale Wagyu.

The website has been designed and built as part of the Yorkshire-based meat supplier’s strategic response to the pandemic.

Since July 2017, Warrendale Wagyu has mainly supplied its produce to wholesalers and the hospitality sector.

But in light of Government lockdown restrictions on these industries, the Warrendale Farms owned company made the decision to adapt its business model and focus on increasing orders directly from consumers.

Its existing B2C ecommerce platform wasn’t particularly stable or easy to navigate, so Agency51 was commissioned to build a new BigCommerce website from scratch.

Not only did the new website need to be built quickly, but it had to be easy for customers to use.

Natasha Bloom, director of Warrendale Wagyu, said: “I’d like to thank Agency51 for designing and developing a BigCommerce website for us which is both stunning and easy to use.

“We couldn’t be happier with the end product. The website is one of the key factors of our amended  business strategy and we have already seen over 80% more B2C sales compared to the same period last year”

According to Agency51, the black, red and white design was created to both reflect the Japanese origins of Wagyu Beef and to showcase the quality of the Warrendale Wagyu extensive range of products.

Daniel Warren, managing director of Agency51, added: “Agency51 specialises in BigCommerce websites for SMEs and it was a privilege to work with a Yorkshire based company with such an exceptional reputation.

“These are extraordinary times that we are living in and it’s extremely rewarding to help our clients adapt to these challenging circumstances.”