LEADERSHIP
RED-INC: BREAKING THE MOULD
No next day delivery: How Red-Inc is breaking the mould As the first certified B-Corp in the industry, Red-Inc likes to do things differently. Founder and managing director, ADAM HUTTLY, explains why
S
ometimes there is value in doing things
about sustainability and survival.” Survival has been the name of the
differently, and when it comes to breaking the
game for the past three years, and in many ways, dealers are still coping
mould, Red-Inc does it in spades. No next-day
with the COVID hangover.
delivery, sustainability front-and-centre, and laser-focused on occupying the office supplies
niche; this is a reseller business that certainly bucks the trend. “We set out to conquer the uber-corporates as a micro business,”
Nevertheless, as a business, Red-Inc has been doing remarkably well. Sales are up 40% against pre-COVID numbers, which is a remarkable achievement, something Adam puts this down to the hard work of the team both during the pandemic and over the past 14 years.
founder and managing director of Red-Inc, Adam Huttly, tells Dealer Support. “We’re very much an office supplies reseller, and we want to
CERTIFIED B-CORP
do that really, really well. We don’t want to be a jack of all trades. We’ve
Reflecting on the founding of Red-Inc, Adam noted his impetus to do
got a really niche little business that’s very dedicated to adding value to
things differently. “I strongly disagreed with a lot of the practices in the
clients in the office supply world.”
industry, like next day delivery, pile it high and sell it cheap, because
There’s no getting away from the issue of sustainability in the
that’s all just price-driven.” He knew any dealer could launch a new
reseller industry, but for Adam, it’s not just about carbon footprints
business and go into it a bit cheaper than its competitors, and probably
and electric vehicles, “Sustainability is not just an ESG agenda. It’s
do well as a result. But Adam wanted something more fulfilling.
[18] OCTOBER 2023
www.dealersupport.co.uk