Open day celebrates massive milestone for award-winning family firm which started life in a garage in 1981

A new multi-billion pound market has opened wider for an award-winning company after the expansion of its headquarters in Waterlooville.

Hampshire Flag Company (HFC) has stretched into the next-door unit at Waterberry Drive to give it the extra space - complete with new factory, showrooms and machines - it needed to grow and meet the demands for its many services.

Hampshire Flag Company welcomed guests to their head office in Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville, at a special open day to celebrate their expansion.

Picture: Mark Waldron — Hampshire Flag Company welcomed guests to their head office in Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville, at a special open day to celebrate their expansion. Picture: Mark Waldron | Iconic Resell

placeholder image — Hampshire Flag Company welcomed guests to their head office in Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville, at a special open day to celebrate their expansion. Picture: Mark Waldron | Iconic Resell

The move means the company - which started life in a small family garage in Crookhorn in 1981 - can continue to do much more than just ‘what it says on the tin’. Although renowned for its flags and exhibition graphics, the expansion means the company can continue to bring to life even more products and work with more brands with its commitment to colour and quality.

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HFC marked the occasion with a special open day to allow people a chance to look behind the scenes. Rod Sessions, commercial director, said: ’Today is all about the launch of our new factory and our new showroom.

Mark Allibone, operations manager at Hampshire Flag Company, shows guests around the new showrooms at their head office in Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville. The flags on the wall spell out HFC and on the table is a newly created graphics stand which displays the flag they made for Team GB at the Paris Olympics.

Picture: Mark Waldron — Mark Allibone, operations manager at Hampshire Flag Company, shows guests around the new showrooms at their head office in Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville. The flags on the wall spell out HFC and on the table is a newly created graphics stand which displays the flag they made for Team GB at the Paris Olympics. Picture: Mark Waldron | Iconic Resell

‘As a business we're known for manufacturing flags and exhibition graphics, but our new factory is going to specialise in signage. We've built a factory especially for that and a showroom that people can come along and see all the different things that we provide.

‘This means that we can grow into different markets. The signage industry is a multi-billion pound market in the UK and, while we do dabble in it a little bit, the new facility, the new machines and showroom will allow us to just move into that sphere and grow more than we could before. Our factory before was very much full up and we couldn't expand it. This extra space has allowed us to do that.’

The very busy stitching room at Hampshire Flag Company.

Picture: Mark Waldron — The very busy stitching room at Hampshire Flag Company. Picture: Mark Waldron | Iconic Resell

HFC founder Roy Carr started the company by manufacturing bunting by hand in the garage of his home. Realising the potential of his idea he decided to start producing hand-painted banners before then moving onto hand-sewn flags.

In 2002 Roy retired and the next generation of the family took over with his daughter Angela Saunders now the owner. The award-winning business - which includes among its honours being crowned Medium Business of the Year at this year's The News Business Awards - employs more than 30 people, supplying clients nationally and internationally.