Fortnum and Mason, one of London’s most instantly recognisable retail brands and owner of the capital’s most iconic food hall, boasts a long, proud heritage of over 300 years. For the purpose of a recent promotion in its flagship Piccadilly store, the company needed a bespoke short run of ultra-high quality printed metal tins in which to present its range of luxury hot chocolate. William Say & Co – London’s last remaining independent canmaker, founded in 1920 – was tasked with the project.
In keeping with the Fortnum and Mason brand, matching the colour precisely and achieving an extremely high quality finish was vital, but the challenge William Say & Co faced was finding a way to do this over a very short run. The company spoke with a range of specialist metal decoration service providers, but as all used traditional offset printing processes, the high set up costs involved meant that none were able to offer the ultra-short run of printed metal sheets William Say & Co required to create the tins.
Here the long-standing connection between William Say & Co and Fujifilm proved invaluable. For more than forty years P Wilkinson Containers, William Say’s sister company, has provided cans and plastics tubs to Fujifilm for its inks. Using a demo Acuity B1 inkjet printer at Fujifilm’s Broadstairs facility, the team digitally printed the high-quality, short run of metal sheets required.
William Say & Co manufactured the tins using solar power at its Bermondsey factory, just a stone’s throw away from the product’s final retail destination. At Fortnum and Mason, the large promotional tins, with their colourful printed designs, created an impactful Christmas display.
Stuart Wilkinson, Marketing and Sales Director at William Say & Co, commented: “We’ve had a long running relationship with Fortnum and Mason spanning two decades, supplying them with tins for their luxury hot chocolate, amongst other products.
“With this project, we’ve combined both heritage and innovation as these large promotional tins, which stand at 50cm tall, are the first in the UK to utilise Fujifilm’s breakthrough digital printing technology. And to be able to create these within such a short timeframe opens up a whole host of new creative possibilities for canmakers.”
Kevin Jenner, Business Manager, Commercial, Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems added: “William Say & Co and Fortnum and Mason are both iconic London brands, rich in heritage. We’re delighted to be able to unite them with the aid of Fujifilm’s digital inkjet technology. Thanks to Fujifilm’s extensive R&D and nearly two decades of pioneering inkjet technology in the graphic arts industry, Fujifilm is in an unrivalled position to offer canmakers and metal decoration printers the means to stay ahead of market trends towards bespoke short runs of high end work.
“The Acuity B1 provides the enabling technology for metal decoration printers to add tremendous value to their clients’ businesses as well as enhancing their own credibility and reputation. Moreover, this partnership demonstrates the commercial benefits and value that digital print can offer the canmaking industry and how companies within the sector can stay competitive.”
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