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Eco-friendly lighting boosts invention firm
8:28am Friday 4th January 2008
Comments (24)A HAMPSHIRE inventions company will see turnover soar 1,000 per cent by selling a major UK supermarket chain its recycled carrier bags back to them in the form of an advertising bench.
The massive deal for 3,000 units will see sales at Southampton new technology firm Grayhatch climb from £1.5m to £15m over the next three years, bosses claim.
It is also good news too for city manufacturing firm The Window Company, which will make many of the units and is considering expansion to cope with the demand.
Until now Grayhatch, which has ten staff, has largely focussed on selling innovative toothbrushes with toothpaste in the handles and glow in the dark torches that are easy to find when the power goes off.
Designed by local inventor Graham Smith, the benches aim to replace traditional advertising in light-boxes outside stores.
Low-energy "bio-luminescent material" powered by solar panels replaces wasteful light-bulbs in the advertising panels above the bench, which also gives customers a comfy spot to sit.
Made largely from recycled plastic carrier bags, Grayhatch claims the benches have a zero carbon footprint and could each save 200 tonnes of pollution from entering into the atmosphere every year.
"At the moment they use these big lightboxes outside supermarkets and they use millions of tonnes of carbon just illuminating adverts. They have fluorescent bulbs just burning off the grid.
"Ours collects daylight and is switched on automatically at night and is environmentally friendly.
"The order is for 3,000 benches over three years. They want to use five at each of their locations. The energy they save will be phenomenal.
"It's absolutely fantastic for Greyhatch and for the environment."
The supermarket chain, which is not being identified but is one of Britain's biggest retailers, has an exclusive contract for the first year but Grayhatch have already had enquiries from other retailers both in the UK and abroad.
"This gives us a base to launch in the rest of the world," said Graham. "The market is worldwide and absolutely massive. Light-boxes are everywhere and they are polluting the environment."
Your Say YourDaily Echo
Nick Bartlett, Chelsea says...
9:59am Fri 4 Jan 08
Everyone´s talking about the environment these days and Blue Chip organisations are having to make changes rather than just profits.
Well done to whoever found this story. Good work. I look forward to reading further news on them.
Sarah Timms, Basingstoke says...
1:25pm Fri 4 Jan 08
Sarah
gorf, soton says...
1:50pm Fri 4 Jan 08
BTW....inside info - they are for LIDL
Mark Jones, Hastings says...
2:16pm Fri 4 Jan 08
monica, Totton says...
2:25pm Fri 4 Jan 08
shaun giggs, west end nr Southampton says...
10:10pm Fri 4 Jan 08
Jessica, Bitterne says...
10:24pm Fri 4 Jan 08
andrew, Florida ex Soton says...
10:41pm Fri 4 Jan 08
Each day we glance at the non intersteing dull stuff but this. well done Gareth and Garham Smith from Grayhatch I bet they have more things coming....Can you image the potential in Florida????? Do they have a website?
monica, Totton says...
11:01pm Fri 4 Jan 08
Harry Pilipiszyn, SOUTHAMPTON says...
11:15pm Fri 4 Jan 08
ternet.com Dont know how to get hold of you we need to talk. Thank you..
Jane, Winchester says...
11:32pm Fri 4 Jan 08
saving the environment with big business paying for it i just have to agree.........thanks to grayhatch and that graham person for thinking of it...
Sheitma Pance, Soton says...
11:17am Sat 5 Jan 08
So why does grayhatch.com state that they are based in Alicante, SPAIN??
Far from being a British success story, they are a SPANISH success story.
Barry Mung, Totton says...
11:29am Sat 5 Jan 08
I have invented some maglev boots.
Powered by a couple of AA batteries, the boots enable you to glide effortlessly a couple of inches above any metal surface, at speeds of up to 30 mph.
All I have to do is convince the Council to lay metal pavements.
Richard Judd, Southampton says...
6:51pm Sat 5 Jan 08
Lee, Paphos Cyprus says...
7:55pm Sat 5 Jan 08
Sheitma Pance, Soton says...
8:01pm Sat 5 Jan 08
Perhaps Greyhatch should invent a system for checking the accuracy of newspaper articles..
Garry Trestump, South Hampton says...
9:50pm Sat 5 Jan 08
This strikes me as strange because Greyhatch have an advert on www.findthatmoney.co
m asking for someone to invest £1M in their Company.
Why has no one invested already if they genuinely are on course for a £15M turnover?
Advertising for investment on a website suggests they have already exhausted conventional means of raising investment.
Why have the banks and investment companies decided not to invest? You'd have thought they'd jump at the chance, given the figures..
james wright, Hong Kong says...
2:27am Sun 6 Jan 08
1. Grayhatch is an Anglo Spanish company
2. All companies even BT, ntl, shell, BP, Virgin, M&S ETC. offer for sale investment.
If you care to look at the www.grayhatch.com website you will see that they offer for sale and for investment in new patented products.
The fact that they have an order for this particular product does not reflect the other products they have and need investors for.
Why do people always try to bring down success is it a national paste time in the UK?
Here you have a company investing what must be millions in the future of British jobs and trying to get investors for other products to do the same and all they get is people making them out as Spanish not English And having a go at them for being successful and saving the environment.
What is it people want? why do so many jobs go abroad? Answers in the above I think.
They are making the benches in Southampton. Or would you prefer Poland?.
john from ASADA, Fareham says...
2:47am Sun 6 Jan 08
tina yang, NINGBO CHINA says...
2:59am Sun 6 Jan 08
Tom Jones, Formerly Wales says...
3:19am Sun 6 Jan 08
Andy Hatcher, Alicante Spain says...
9:00am Mon 7 Jan 08
It was me that put up a request for investment from the private sector not because we have tried all the banks. On the contrary, we haven't even asked a bank for money. We have spent a fortune in time, effort and cash in order to produce a series of products which will not only help the environment and peoples health but also to create jobs for the citizens of the UK and to pay UK taxes which in turn benefits the people of Britain.
As with ANY company there will always be good and bad press - we accept both and do not take it personally. We would like to hear any ideas you have regarding our products because by listening we can improve things.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Andy Hatcher
peter, hythe says...
12:41am Sat 10 May 08
.
LESS POLLUTION: The bench which uses solar power to light the adverts.
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Simon Hayes, Chandlers Ford says...
9:52am Fri 4 Jan 08
Good luck to greyhatch, this company is doing what many of us dream of but do little about.