Corby family firm flying high with luxury global brands displays

The booming business began from a family garage in Kettering
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As air passenger travel resumes one Corby company which specialises in the luxury display industry has seen its business take off again.

The sky’s the limit for the team at Emerald House Associates (EHA) which has seen a significant increase in demand for the businesses’ bespoke services, which includes specialising in supplying all the UK’s major airports with innovative and creative design projects promoting premium products to travellers.

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With global iconic brands enlisting Emerald House Associates for numerous new upcoming projects, the independent family-owned business is reaching new heights.

Family business - some of the Emerald House Associates team with co-founder Mick McNamara, and daughter Emerald McNamaraFamily business - some of the Emerald House Associates team with co-founder Mick McNamara, and daughter Emerald McNamara
Family business - some of the Emerald House Associates team with co-founder Mick McNamara, and daughter Emerald McNamara

As leisure and business passengers continue to return to airports UK wide, its estimated EHA's eye-catching installations will be seen by millions of passengers travelling around the world.

Emerald McNamara, business development manager at Emerald House Associates, said: "It is fantastic to be so busy again. We are working flat-out as airport and retail projects have suddenly started taking off again for the first time since the pandemic hit.

“It is amazing to be involved with Smartech’s newly launched PlayHouse project and Selfridges successful garden centres, which are a number of creative collaborations we have worked on with the iconic retailer. In response to the upturn in demand for our specialised services we are expanding our team and currently recruiting more staff, which is a fantastic position to be in.”

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Working alongside some of the most famous and prestigious brands in the world, the Corby company welcomed the recent rapid rise in requests for its creative services, announcing it has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the latest state-of-the art machinery and is expanding its workforce.

The recently opened PlayHouse, a 200 sq m store inside Selfridges store was created by EHAThe recently opened PlayHouse, a 200 sq m store inside Selfridges store was created by EHA
The recently opened PlayHouse, a 200 sq m store inside Selfridges store was created by EHA

The booming business also recently worked on the successful creation and installation of premium pop-up garden centres, situated in Selfridges stores in Birmingham, London and Manchester, as the retailer responded to the estimated three million new gardeners who turned green-fingered during the pandemic.

A long-established prestigious partnership with Selfridges saw the renowned retailer recommend EHA’s services to global technology company Smartech. As a result, the EHA team’s latest creative collaboration with Smartech is the PlayHouse at Selfridges’ flagship store in London. The permanent innovative installation, unveiled in August, showcases the world’s most ground-breaking games consoles and technology and follows the success of a previous pop-up version. EHA announced it will be working on a global roll-out of the PlayHouse pioneering projects at locations worldwide.

Emerald House Associates prestigious clients are among some of the leading beauty, fashion and liquor brands of the world, including Coty, Chanel, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Harrods, Hugo Boss, Jack Daniels, Jameson, and Tiffany & Co.

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Emerald said: "We work with some amazing luxury global brands and continue to expand the business by investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the very latest state-of-the-art machinery, which helps us deliver the very best for our clients. It is great to be part of such a creative and fast paced industry, seeing projects from the early design stage, right through to production and then the grand installation is an exceptionally rewarding aspect of the job.”

Mick McNamara, Emerald McNamara and Natalie HillMick McNamara, Emerald McNamara and Natalie Hill
Mick McNamara, Emerald McNamara and Natalie Hill

Emerald House Associates specialist services include 3D design, large format printing, acrylic fabrication, 360 production and installation.

From its initial humble beginnings when EHA was first set up in the garage of Emerald’s parent’s property in Kettering, the business has since grown exponentially over the last 25 years.

The company will recruit three more members of staff this month to add to the 45 already employed.

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Emerald added: “The business had relocated a number of times between Kettering and Corby as we have outgrown previous premises. Our current Corby site is five times bigger than our previous location and we have seen the business expand five-fold in as many years.”

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