A new creative hub lays down roots in the Lincolnshire Wolds

A new creative hub lays down roots in the Lincolnshire Wolds

‘Small rural businesses have a big impact, especially when they collaborate’ is the message being championed by Systematic and Knapton Wright, a duo of creative businesses that are celebrating settling down in a newly redeveloped joint working space.

Both working to improve the success of leading UK businesses, with Systematic’s heritage rooted in design and print-led projects and Knapton Wright’s specialism in creative and strategic digital marketing, these new neighbours are laying the foundations for a ‘creative hub’ in Caistor, a flourishing market town at the northern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Knapton Wright’s recent relocation of its offices to Centurion Way now sees the planet-positive creative agency sharing the site with Systematic and its in-house design agency brand, oodle, creating an alignment of complimentary services in one location.

Urban landscapes are typically seen to offer a competitive edge when it comes to success. Yet these two businesses, with client bases across the UK and beyond, are flying the flag for rural enterprises. This sentiment is reinforced by each business’s approach to growth and diversification, which has already caught the eye of plenty of young talent, potential recruits and other collaborators.

Systematic has been part of the Caistor community since 1975. Earlier this month, they completed their work with local suppliers on a transformative office refurbishment. It has been optimised for the team’s blend of office and home working, to support their work-life balance and wellbeing. In the process, a separate office was created, which is now the headquarters of Knapton Wright.

With an eually hybrid team now based at its Caistor office, Knapton Wright’s move follows a period of expansion for the agency with its acquisition of the Bazzoo brand and agency – adding more than 100 new clients to the books – and its rebrand, which in itself marked a strategic move towards embracing a more sustainable way of working.

Alex Wright, founder of Knapton Wright, said: “Having known the team since 2015, we’ve long held the work Systematic does in high regard. We’ve always supported each other’s endeavours and the skills nurtured in each of our respective teams, so to be working so closely together nearly a decade later with the business being driven by the third generation, headed up by James Walker, Ben Crossfield and Jacqui Vear, it feels as though we have come full circle.

“Especially as Knapton Wright too is walking a new path, saddling up with businesses that want to be cleaner and greener, working towards helping our planet thrive while also supporting clients that are perhaps looking to take those first tentative steps towards becoming and being known for being more operationally sustainable.”

Both businesses are aligned in their core values and sustainable mindset. Improvements at the shared building include the installation of 50 solar panels, with power topped up by 100% renewable energy. Heating takes the form of a highly efficient infrared electric heating system, which has enabled the site to stop using mains gas. The renovation has improved thermal efficiency and created contemporary spaces that are proving productive for the teams and their clients.

Operations Director, Jacqui Vear, commented: “Systematic has always sought to be a responsible business. We believe that what you measure you manage, and we now account for our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. We’re well on the way to achieving a long-held ambition, to be carbon neutral in 2025, the year of our 50th trading anniversary. To maximise the integrity of this approach, we are working within the framework of an internationally recognised standard for carbon neutrality.”

Those wanting to discover more about the activities taking place at this creative hub and the support it can offer you and your business should reach out with the request to join a forthcoming open afternoon being hosted on-site, email jacqui.vear@systematic.uk or jo.allen@knaptonwright.co.uk