A creative Bradford firm is winning major contracts with London firms in the face of stiff competition from other companies in the capital.

And a steady flow of work is coming in for the two ambitious men behind the direct marketing firm which gives them a chance to use their creative juices.

The firm, Creative Juice, expected its first-year turnover to be £80,000 but they will be beating that by 25 per cent.

The company, which was started by James Moore and Tony Greenwood, less than a year ago has won prestigious marketing contracts with Financial Times Electronic Publishing and World Reporter - which both supply electronic business information.

Other clients include The Works Recruitment and Training as well as Halifax-based giant Crosslee and Whitehouse Cox in Birmingham. The firm has also won contracts with companies in Manchester.

The agency provides a full creative service, writing, designing and delivering production from direct mailings to press advertising, corporate brochures and website advertising.

The company, which started last June, was giving a helping hand to get off the ground by Bradford businesswoman Judith Donovan. Both men previously worked for Mrs Donovan at different times at her Thornbury direct marketing firm Judith Donovan Associates.

They were given a six-month retainer to carry out work for the agency in their own offices at its Phoenix House headquarters. They did other work in the remaining four days of the week and built up their own contacts to allow them to grow enough to move into offices at Bradford Design Exchange in Little Germany which is managed by Bradford Council.

Tony, who lives in Queensbury and James, from Micklethwaite near Bingley, decided to go it alone when they were working for another company together four years ago.

James said: "We decided to either go into creative work outside the region or go it alone. We decided to become a specialist supplier for large clients but not charge them the same as the big agencies would do.''

Tony added: "Being based here now offers us real scope to grow as a business. Even though our biggest clients are in London, we feel Bradford is a fantastic base for us and our roots are firmly fixed in the city."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.