Silver Birches widens packaging offer beyond labels

Silver Birches is broadening its focus beyond labels to offer a wider packaging and branding service for fashion, retail and eCommerce customers. The family-run UK manufacturer says the move reflects how the business has evolved over nearly five decades.

Founded in the mid-1970s printing labels from a shed in the Harris family garden, the company now supplies retail and gift packaging, eCommerce packaging, paper hangtags, printed fabric labels, woven labels, custom-printed thermal labels, point-of-sale displays and branded stationery.

The expansion marks a clear shift for a business still closely associated with its roots in labelling. Customers increasingly want a single supplier that can manage branding across multiple printed formats and packaging products, rather than sourcing them separately.

Donna Ward, head of sales at Silver Birches, said many buyers still see the company through the lens of its early business.

"We understand that many people still think of us as a labelling company, and we're proud of where we started," Ward said.

She said the company now plays a broader role in helping customers create a joined-up branding package.

"But that's really only one part of what we do now.

Customers come to us with a product and an idea. Our job is to take away the branding headache and build a coordinated pack around that product, from labels and hangtags to bags and packaging, so everything works together."

Broader offer

The shift comes as eCommerce continues to shape packaging demand. Online retail has made the outer pack more visible to consumers and pushed brands to think about consistency from delivery packaging to product labels and promotional inserts.

For suppliers, that has increased demand for coordination across product categories that were once handled separately. This has helped move Silver Birches beyond being solely a label maker to becoming a broader print and packaging supplier.

This is particularly relevant for brands with tightly controlled visual identities. Matching colours and presentation across different materials, print processes and production sites can be difficult, especially when products are made in multiple factories.

Ward pointed to one long-standing customer with a distinctive pink brand colour as an example.

"This must be matched precisely across labels, printed items and packaging produced in entirely different factories," she said.

"We have tackled this challenge through careful sample and colour management across the supply chain, and the end result feels unmistakably like a single brand."

Supply chain pressures

Silver Birches said buyers are also placing more emphasis on lead times and pricing flexibility. Brands and retailers often face tighter launch schedules and budget pressure, forcing packaging suppliers to offer more sourcing and production options.

In response, it uses manufacturing in the UK and Europe for shorter turnaround times, alongside a wider sourcing network and in-house design support. It also offers what it describes as a "Good, Better, Best" structure, giving customers a choice of routes to market depending on budget.

The business also provides stockholding for up to 12 months in the UK and the Far East, allowing customers to place larger annual orders while drawing down smaller quantities over time. This can help buyers manage pricing and inventory without committing to full immediate delivery.

Sustainability questions

Sustainability has also become a more regular part of packaging procurement, according to the company. Rather than making broad claims, Silver Birches is focusing on specific material choices such as FSC-certified papers, 100% recycled papers and recycled polyester options for woven labels.

Ward said customers are asking more detailed questions about environmental trade-offs and available alternatives.

"Sustainability isn't something customers need to ask us about twice," she said.

"We want to show people the real choices available for their product so they can make an informed decision rather than a superficial one."

The company's development reflects a wider shift in the packaging sector, where suppliers are under pressure to combine design input, sourcing, print management and logistics support in a single relationship. For eCommerce sellers in particular, packaging must meet the functional demands of shipping while still reinforcing brand identity when an order reaches the customer.

Silver Birches remains family-run and takes its name from the silver birch trees near the original garden shed where the business began. Over the following decade, it moved into its own premises, expanded into commercial printing and grew turnover, laying the groundwork for its current position across packaging, print and garment accessories.

Its message to customers is that it should be seen less as a specialist in one product line and more as a supplier that can manage branding across several formats at once.

"Whether the challenge is a complete launch suite, consistency across multiple formats, a premium concept on a tighter budget, a more sustainable alternative or simply a deadline that feels impossible, the invitation is there to bring the problem to us at Stand K70 and benefit from 50 years of experience to discover the solution that's right for you," Ward said.