Chemist Direct founder launches new stationery venture
Chemist Direct's Mitesh Soma is branching out from budget paracetamol to ball point pens as he launches his online stationery and office supplies store Stationery Direct.
"I got the idea when we were buying stock for the Chemist Direct office. I noticed we were just randomly buying things on credit card – printers, paper for invoices, that sort of thing. I thought there must be cheaper options." A little investigation into the mark-up on stationery goods confirmed Soma’s suspicions: “I found there were really good margins and an opportunity to undercut the big players.”
It's a model he’s confident will work. Just two years on from its launch, Chemist Direct has rocketed to a £20m-turnover business by drastically under-cutting high-street pharmacies.
A quick squizz at the website shows you just how much you’re saving by buying your pencils and paperclips at Stationery Direct. A price comparison page lists, per item, what you’d pay at Viking Direct, Staples and Rymans. The savings through Soma’s discount website are impressive – up to 95 per cent on some items.
With Chemist Direct fast becoming a household name – not to mention scooping the prestigious Young Company of the Year gong at our recent Real Business/CBI Growing Business Awards – Soma will fancy his chances at turning Stationery Direct into the go-to site for consumers looking to cut costs.
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