Private Limited Company | |
Industry | Retail |
Founded | London (1893 ) |
Headquarters | Ryman House, Savoy Road, Crewe, Cheshire, UK |
Number of locations
|
220 |
Key people
|
|
Products | Stationery, office and home office supplies |
Revenue | £131.0 million (2015/16) |
Owner | Theo Paphitis |
Website | www |
Ryman is a UK stationery retail company with over 220 outlets nationwide in the UK. The website and stores provide a wide range of stationery and office supplies for homes and businesses with its headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire.
Henry J Ryman opened his first store as a book printer on Great Portland Street, London in 1893, that is still open today.. Quickly changing the focus to selling stationery, the business was successfully owned and managed by the Ryman family for several generations. Jack Ryman succeeded Henry in 1931, until he passed it on to his own sons, Desmond and Nicholas, in 1951. From 1912 til 1995, the business traded as H. J. Ryman Retail Limited.
In the 1970s the business was sold by the family and passed through several different owners, including the Burton Group, Terence Conran, Jennifer d'Abo and Pentos.
In 1995 it was acquired by Chancerealm Ltd, which changed its name to Ryman Group Limited. Chancerealm was then bought by Theo Paphitis, and integrated as part of his retail group. In 1996, the Ryman Direct mail order catalogue was introduced, followed by a website in 1998. To build a UK national chain, in 2001 the group acquired the stationery retailer Partners with 86 stores, and in 2007 purchased 61 Stationery Box stores. The businesses and all stores were combined under a redesigned Ryman brand in October 2008, which presently comprises 232 stores with a turnover of more than £120m.
Ryman was the first stationer to introduce the concept of colour to filing, with both cabinets and folders. Today Ryman Stationery stock a wide range of inkjet cartridges, printers, pens, paper, envelopes, office essentials, filing, presentation materials, diaries and Back to School Supplies.
Ryman are sponsors of the English football Isthmian League, known as the Ryman League which in its 19th year is currently the longest running sponsorship in UK football.
In addition Ryman also sponsors cricket through the Surrey Championship