Partner Article

Newcastle entrepreneur named in new â??Enriched List'

Local Newcastle entrepreneur and founder of The Printed Bag Shop, Craig Smith, aged only 28, has topped NatWest Private Banking’s ‘Enriched List’ - the first league table of its kind to unveil and rank the rise of a new kind of affluent demographic in the UK.

The study, commissioned by NatWest Private Banking in partnership with Professor Scott Moeller of Cass Business School and unveiled today, shows that the face of Britain’s affluent is changing, with the emergence of a previously undiagnosed demographic, the new ‘Enriched’ - modern successful individuals who are combining financial success with a desire for personal and career fulfilment.

Craig Smith, a former pipe-fitting and welding apprentice from Newcastle, started The Printed Bag Shop with his partner Lisa in May 2007 after spotting a niche in the market whilst working at his parents’ packaging company. It occurred to Craig that while the market for environmentally-friendly bags was rapidly expanding, there was no one currently offering companies a full service of design, printing and delivering for eco-friendly bags.

Craig Smith said: “Having seen what it is like when businesses do not work, it is fantastic to find myself in a position where I am running my own company, in an area I am passionate about and making it a success. I always focus on the long-term and whilst The Printed Bag Shop has not made me a millionaire yet, it has given me options for the future and that has made an enormous difference to the way I live my life.”

Commenting on the ‘Enriched’ list, Professor Moeller said: “We are witnessing a real decline in the traditional ‘get rich quick’ generation - our new breed of ‘Enriched’ evidently value quality of life as much as quantity of wealth.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .