Printing began as something of a sideline for John Howitt when he set up a small shop in Nottingham in 1837. Hedging his bets on what would do well, he sold books and stationery, hung wallpaper and offered a printing service. The machine with which he started now has pride of place in the reception area of our headquarters.
John started printing tram and railway tickets and in conjunction with his neighbour Thomas Cook he published the only local railway guide called 'Howitt's Advertiser'.
Patrick Howitt came into the business in 1963. He spent a year on the shop floor and was then sent off to one of Germany's leading printers for a year. Pat then returned to continue his involvement in the business and became Chairman at the ripe old age of 25.
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It was in 1977 that the company embarked upon a major expansion plan with three new sheet fed presses being bought and costing over £400,000. The business continued to grow and expand with further investment over the coming years and a move into web offset printing.
In 1999 Pat Howitt sold the business, saying at the time that it was best for both staff and customers. By 2004 Howitt had changed hands a further two times, before the current owners and management team of Nick Dixon, Mike Hunter and Rick Taylor took over the company in February 2004.
Built on 167 years of heritage, Howitt is a forward looking company that believes that the best of our history is yet to happen!
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