5 minute read
Easy does it
4walls was delighted to catch up with Nick Zanna, co-owner of Bedford-based EasyFrame, and hear how this awesome family business is going from strength to strength.
Amazingly, EasyFrame has benefitted from the pandemic in a number of ways and as the country rediscovers normality, the team is enjoying its highest ever levels of trading.
Nick reckons that the pandemic has advanced the interests of internet sales by 20 years! He says: “Consumers were already buying more and more online but lockdown meant that previously reluctant virtual shoppers had no choice. Coupled with a trend for people wanting to improve the homes they were now spending more time in, this meant wall art was increasingly in demand. All great news for picture framers!”
Tom Grennan
The volume of business was of course very welcome but with hundreds of orders coming in every day, it meant that EasyFrame needed to look at improving speed and efficiency. EasyFrame supplies products in a business-to-business capacity – manufacturing picture frames - as well as picture framing for consumers.
Never shy of investing, the team bought a Gunnar computerised mount cutter along with an AlfaAutomation double mitre saw. Nick cannot believe the scale of the benefits: “We are saving hundreds and hundreds of man hours every month. The day’s orders are emailed to the cutter every morning, and it not only cuts but also labels every item. So assembly is really quick and easy.”
Maintaining momentum
The Zanna family is very active in terms of marketing. Their social media channels work incredibly hard for them. Nick says: “Instagram is fantastic for us. We use it to talk about the people behind the business as well as showcasing our work. The engagement we get is incredible – but it is very demanding from a time perspective! People expect instant replies in an always on digital world!
“We are fortunate to work with some celebrities and musicians with hundreds
EASY DOES IT
of thousands of followers and when they tag us in their photos, we get a surge in interest and new followers.”
Trustpilot is another digital platform that helps drive enquiries and Nick is very much aware that many people these days like to get in touch via the website and email – and they generally want a quick response. Apart from promptly providing quotes, following the investment in new equipment and technology, EasyFrame is now able to turn round work in two to three days.
While the company has long been an advocate of e-commerce, Nick and his brother Rob are also big fans of face-toface contact and do not underestimate the importance of delivering a personal service. In fact, they are currently refurbishing their showroom to offer customers the very best of both worlds.
Physical displays have many benefits in Nick’s book: “For example, explaining the importance of conservation products is much easier to do in person. Showing how AR glass performs with a physical sample tells a very compelling story!”
On the record
One particular area of growth has been framing vinyl records. EasyFrame has developed an excellent reputation for showcasing these prized possessions which these days often don’t even get played! EasyFrame has framed records and covers for a long list of musicians. The most recent being Inglorious – who were on tour this autumn. Nick and his wife Jo were invited backstage at Islington Assembly Hall in London!
Nick explains: “For up and coming talent, whose music is consumed via streaming, releasing limited edition vinyl is an important income stream. When LPs stopped being produced in the 1990s, an artform was lost - to the disappointment of many music fans. But now they are enjoying a revival. Bands are now releasing maybe a dozen different versions of their albums!”
Mason Hill
Good neighbours
Jo Zanna
As mentioned earlier, relationships are important to Nick, Rob and the entire EasyFrame family and Larson-Juhl is proud to be very much involved as a supplier to this very successful, progressive business.
“It is a massive asset to have Larson-Juhl on the doorstep, especially with the new showroom,” Nick says. “Sometimes we will turn up to view samples at 8am, which means product can be ready to be used on site at EasyFrame by 9am! “The new Larson-Juhl showroom is really inspirational – not only in terms of products and applications but also around the importance of showcasing mouldings.”
Nick is enjoying working with Larson-Juhl area sales manager Simon Davies and comments: “Simon’s been brilliant. He is very proactive - making suggestions. And it is always good to think about new ideas – however busy we are!”
Nick, Jackie and Rob Zanna
A brief history
The EasyFrame story started back in 1984 when Nick and Rob’s parents supplied frames to a family business called Houseproud. Fast forward to 1988 and the Zannas opened a picture framing gallery shop in Rushden (followed by stores in Kettering, Luton and Hitchin), and started framing in the garage at home. Today, the same premises still operates as ZanArt - run by an original member of the team following a management buyout.
Nick and Rob joined the family business in the 1990s. Rob got into the digital world around 2001 and is self taught, whilst Nick continued to run the very busy Kettering business. Nick and Rob moved into their current 5,000 square foot premises on Railton Road in Bedford in 2014 and invested in more people and equipment.
With a team of 15 that includes many family members, EasyFrame is in the enviable position of thriving as a business because they are meeting market demands with a total commitment to quality and service.
4walls looks forward to hearing about their next chapter of innovation and entrepreneurship!
Follow the EasyFrame journey at easyframe.co.uk or on social @easyframe_UK on Facebook and Instagram and @easyframeUK on Twitter
Highlights
Over the decades there have been many stand-out moments for the Zanna brothers including:
• The night somebody smashed into Zanart to steal a pair of beautifully mounted boxing gloves owned by the world’s greatest ever boxer Muhammed Ali • A private message that Nick, a
Manchester United fan, concealed in a frame he assembled for its greatest manager, Sir Alex Ferguson
• Hundreds of framings for the corridors of Arsenal’s Emirates
Stadium • Countless MBEs, OBEs, mementos and photographs they’ve framed to commemorate the likes of Captain Sir
Tom Moore, Nelson Mandela, Laurel and Hardy, and of course the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ cast. Special mention goes to the legendary John Challis who played Boycie and sadly died in September – the video clips he did for
EasyFrame are still a great watch!
