A tech entrepreneur has bought The Printed Cup Company and become the chief executive.
Oliver Alcock is the founder and managing director of Bowland IT, which supports more than 300 businesses with听their IT, telecoms, cybersecurity and cloud services.
Now he鈥檚 acquired Clitheroe-based听The Printed Cup Company for an undisclosed sum in a deal that has signalled an exit for founders Mark and Jenny Woodward.
Alcock said: 鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud to share that, after many months of hard work and planning, I have officially acquired The Printed Cup Company in Clitheroe and will be stepping in as CEO.
鈥淔ounded 20 years ago by Mark Woodward and Jenny Woodward from their living room, The Printed Cup Company has grown into the UK鈥檚 fastest bespoke printed drinks cup manufacturer, operating out of a 15,000 sq ft facility and employing a fantastic team of 30 dedicated staff.
鈥淚鈥檓 honoured to carry forward their legacy, and I want to reassure everyone that there are no plans for redundancies as part of this transition.
鈥淭his is a new chapter – focused on growth, innovation, and continuing the great culture and service the company is known for.鈥�
Alcock founded Bowland IT in 2012 from the back bedroom of a terraced house near the centre of Burnley.
He recalled: 鈥淚n the early days, I ran the company from the boot of my car, learning the ropes and laying the foundations.
鈥淓verything changed when I fully embraced the recurring revenue model, which enabled me to build a substantial portfolio of monthly income streams across IT and telecoms services.
鈥淭oday, Bowland IT has a strong management team in place. While I still retain ownership, I鈥檝e been able to step back from day-to-day operations to focus on growth and new ventures.鈥�
He founded Vanguard Vertex in 2025 to help long-standing business owners transition smoothly into retirement.
Alcock added: 鈥淥ur most recent acquisition is听The Printed Cup Company听– a multi-million-pound manufacturing and warehousing operation.
鈥淧CC is the UK鈥檚 fastest-turnaround provider of printed drinks and food packaging, renowned for its commitment to small businesses by offering high-quality, custom products with no minimum order quantity.鈥�
Explaining his plans for the business he said:听鈥淲e plan to broaden The Printed Cup Company鈥檚 product ranges to better serve our customers while deepening our commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.
鈥淎s part of this vision, we are actively working toward formal recognition as a business that meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
鈥淥ur aim is to operate not just for profit, but with purpose – ensuring that our decisions benefit not only our shareholders, but also our employees, customers, communities, and the planet.鈥�
Founder Mark Woodward said: 鈥淎fter 20 wonderful years building The Printed Cup Company with Jenny and our team, I听couldn鈥檛 be prouder of where we鈥檝e arrived. Oliver is exactly the right person to take this听business forward – entrepreneurial, values-driven, and full of energy. We鈥檙e excited to听see what鈥檚 next.鈥�