Welcome to the spring edition of our Abacus Creative Resources newsletter. I hope you are all well and had a great start to 2023. 

There’s been some big changes we’ve been working on over the past couple of months; with two new members joining the team and our biggest event of the year – launching the shiny brand-new Abacus website. The team are beyond excited and proud of the launch of our new website and its capabilities and how it will improve the user experience of our customers.

In February some of the team attended the Creative World exhibition in Frankfurt, to meet with the best suppliers in the art industry, so we can bring our customers the very best products and service.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal customers for your support and as always Abacus Creative Resources are happy to help.

Creative Regards, Roy

Here at Abacus Creative Resources, we want to be the “one stop shop” for creative people and we are very excited to be showcasing Inktense blocks and pencils from Derwent in this newsletter.

Derwent Inktense Pencils are water-soluble pencils. You can use them dry but mix them with water and the colour turns into vibrant ink. Once it’s dry the colour is fixed and because its permanent, it’s great for using on fabric such as silk and cotton.

Derwent Inktense blocks are highly pigmented, intensely vibrant, watercolour blocks that are permanent when fully dry. Using the active colour technology and advanced performance formulation found in Inktense pencils, blocks allow for a more versatile application.

We have both the pencils and blocks available in various set sizes.

We are giving away an Inktense sample to the first 100 orders from 27th March over £125! Be sure to get your orders in to secure yours before they go. Either try it for the first time or add to your current collection - it’s a win win!

Employee Spotlight 

In March we welcomed two new starters to the team. Firstly, we welcomed Sam a new member of the warehouse operatives. Sam is a great asset to the team and will provide the vital support to Duncan and the warehouse on reaching our goals and ensuring we achieve next day delivery where possible. 

Secondly, we have welcomed Nathan as our Assistant Accountant, who will streamline our processes and provide his expertise. Nathan is a great addition to the team and support to the Directors.

We are extremely proud of the launch of our new website - hopefully you will have had the pleasure of using the new website and exploring the new features it has to offer.
Not only does the site offer a smoother and quicker shopping experience for our customers, we also have new features such as a 'Creative Kit Quote builder', wish lists, save your basket, re-order previous order plus a loyalty scheme (coming soon!)

We now have a home for our testimonials and a dedicated space for our blog posts and latest news - these can be found on the homepage in our ‘Creative Hub’ where you will also see our Instagram feed, access to our YouTube, FAQ’s and online brochures. 

On our homepage you will also discover ‘Brands we Stock’, which is a highlight of some of the wonderful brands we have under the Abacus roof. Find out a little bit more about the brands and a handpicked selection of our favourite products. You will find their whole product ranges on our main website. We also have a home for our very own Blue Acorn range, a ‘new in’ section for you to shop the very latest products we have added to our ever-growing range, plus ‘Made in Britain’ which features the brands and products that have been manufactured here in the UK.

The real star of the show for us is our new ‘Creative Kit Builder’! We have compiled the top 100 kit components for you to be able to add to your very own bespoke kit. Simply add the products you would like to feature in your creative kit, leave use any comments on how many kits you require, how you would like them packaged and if they are to be delivered individually to students or direct to the classroom. Once you have submitted your creative kit request one of our lovely team members will be in touch with your bespoke kit quote. Happy building!

We will launch our new customer loyalty program in the coming months, where we can reward our loyal customers with discounts and vouchers for repeated business.

Anyone who's anyone within the art trade world doesn't miss out on the opportunity to attend Creativeworld.

Creativeworld ran between the 4th - 7th February in Frankfurt. It is the most important trade fair for the international hobby, craft and artists' supplies sector and inspiring exhibition for the creative community.

Patrick, Roy and Lyndon (3 generations of the Swindell family!) from the Abacus team attended this year's Creativeworld, to bring you the very best in terms of quality, sustainability and product range from around the world.

Look out for sample offers and new products coming this year!

This brings our spring newsletter to an end, but you don’t have to wait for the next one to find out what we are up to as this year at Abacus isn’t one you will want to miss! Simply sign up to our mailing list and give us a follow over on Linkedin or Instagram to keep up with the latest!

Our dedicated team are always on hand to help with any queries so don’t hesitate to drop them an email [email protected] or give us a call on 01524 730240, we look forward to speaking to you soon!