15 Years in Business – From the beginning to the present
Launched officially in 2009, a business model was created for the vision of Unique Magazines. The original idea was based on providing publishers with magazine orders, which were obtained from our website. Over the years, we’ve grown into a global hub.
Today, we pride ourselves in offering over 2000 different magazines and dispatching orders from our own distribution centre. With a customer focused service, established partnerships built worldwide, customers in over 100 countries and a brand known for quality in the print magazine industry.
After 15 years in business, we have created an ever-growing streamlined focused business delivering printed magazines to customers worldwide based on our three most essential values; service, quality and trust.
We invite you to reminisce and explore some milestones with us, which reshaped our trajectory, from over the past 15 years in business.
Navigating the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: When the pandemic struck, the world shut down and small businesses were hit hard. Classified as an essential retailer, we continued operations, focusing on delivering magazines like TV guides to those confined at home. This service not only kept our customers safe but also provided a crucial connection to the world outside and a sense of familiarity during all that was lost. Even years later, customers have decided to stay with us even when life has returned to normal, due to our convenient, consistent and trusted service. We have built personal relationships and take pride in the repeating names and faces we get to see.
Royal Mail Cyber Attack, January 2023: An unexpected cyberattack paralyzed our ability to ship internationally for six weeks. We persevered immensely and responded by partnering with a new logistics company, MHI, enhancing our international delivery capabilities and ensuring continuous service for our customers. We overcame a challenge, by creating a long-lasting business partnership, which still positively impacts us and our loyal customers today!
Launching a New Website, June 2024: After much deliberation, we revamped our website to improve user experience. Despite this being a huge project coming with initial challenges, the new site today offers a modern, customer-friendly interface that represents our brand’s evolution. We chose challenge and change, over safety and comfortability. Despite teething errors, we take immense pride in our website that now proudly represents our brand, business and values.
Creating a Local Magazine Room: We recently developed an instore browsing experience in the Northeast, providing a space for customers to physically explore our diverse range of magazines. There is nothing like the feel of high-quality print and the smell of freshly printed pages, so creating this room felt essential for others to explore magazines and all their elements! We wanted to create an experience. This addition has become a beloved part of the local community!
Our team and the future of Unique Magazines.
Our Managing Director, John, often says the secret to our success is “Our team.” The dedication and passion of our staff has been instrumental in our growth. Over the years, we have seen many staff come and go and we will always feel grateful to be a part of their story and have them as part of ours.
As we look forward, we envision the higher quality, less frequent, and more exclusive publications, becoming the norm. We aim to support this ongoing shift by showcasing these in our magazine room, to encourage discovery of something new. Going forward we aim to focus on our independent magazines that resonate across modern generations, motivating change through artistic expression, whilst still being the customer’s choice for all types of printed magazines.
As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we’re reminded of the bright future ahead. We’re committed to enhancing every aspect of our customer’s experience, from the browsing stage to regular renewal’s. We are excited to expand our reach globally.
This reflection not only marks past achievements but also sets the stage for the exciting developments we anticipate in the evolving world of magazines. Here’s to 15 years in counting and many more years in business to come.