Education resources business turns print into £6m revenue stream

Halifax-based education resources provider, White Rose Education, confirmed it has retained its printing partner, Elanders UK, for a fifth consecutive year after turning print into its primary revenue stream. 

Since creating the partnership with Elanders in 2020, White Rose has printed 24.1 million workbooks – taking it from a zero revenue on print to £6m in four years.

This is set to grow further, with the imminent launch of White Rose Science and an expansion of some of its international products.   

White Rose Education has a team of teaching experts who create maths and science resources for over 140 countries, 40% of UK secondary schools, and 80% of UK primary schools.

The company – originally called White Rose Maths – was established in 2017 to support the national agenda of improving maths outcomes across England.

It has gone on to develop learning schemes, evidenced-based digital teaching resources and professional development programmes.

A significant lift in demand as a result of the pandemic saw the firm reach out to Elanders UK to pursue printing its resources for the first time. 

There has been a 100% growth year-on-year for the business’s printed workbooks which are targeted at schools and parents.

Adam Phillips​​​​, site manager at White Rose Education, said: “Our expansion into printed products has surpassed all our expectations.

“We’ve gone from printing a few hundred workbooks to printing 60,000 to 80,000 of each title, each year and we couldn’t have done it without Elanders.

“We’re experts in education and have relied heavily on Elanders’ expertise in physical publishing. From paper quality, to stapling versus glueing, to ink – they’ve really helped shape what we produce – they understand the quality we require.

“Every year we re-tender for the printing contract and Elanders always come up top on price, but beyond the numbers and, more importantly, we greatly value the time they make for us.”

As well as a printing service, Elanders provides storage capacity for around 350 pallets of workbooks.

Elanders UK handled logistics in the early days of the contract but since its expansion, White Rose Education has acquired its own 8,500 sq ft warehouse which now employs eight full-time staff.

A spokesman for Elanders UK, which is part of the Swedish-owned Elanders Group, added: “We are looking forward to continuing our work to support White Rose on their ambitious trajectory.”

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