PR Agency Reveals The Punniest Businesses in Derbyshire

If you have ever walked past a shop and its name has made you chuckle or blush then you are bound to like this list- Derbyshire’s top 11 quirkiest business titles.

The list has been compiled by Ilkeston based Poppy-PR, to emphasise the importance of business branding, after an article by The Branding Journal identified branding as the ‘secret weapon of most companies.’

Tina Clough, managing director of Derby based Poppy-PR, said: “Throughout 2016 we have encountered many amusing business names from each corner of the county. We became interested in the power of creating a strong brand identity, and decided to create a list of our favourites.”

The list is as follows:

Junk and Disorderly, Clay Cross

Only Fools and Sauces, Ripley

Pipe Dreams, Matlock

Hall of Frames, Belper, (formerly called Well Hung)

Puddin’ on the Ritz, Matlock Bath

The Quiet Woman, Earl Sterndale, Buxton

Sunny Dee’s (tanning shop) Codnor

Hair I Am, Burton Road, Midway, Swadlincote

Chip Inn (chop shop), Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield

Codfellas fish bar, Chesterfield

Cake it To the Limit, Ilkeston

Junk and Disorderly in Clay Cross won a national competition in 2014 for the best pun name in the country.

Owner Peter Yates, 53, said: “I bought the shop 17 years ago. There used to be a shop in Chesterfield with the same name that closed about 30 years ago. There is also one in the Isle of Wight.

“After we won, a lady came in and said her son, who lived in Portsmouth, had got onto a flight to New York and picked up a copy of The Independent, which had an article about us winning.

“I see lots of people staring at the shop from across the road and laughing and I sometimes get a bit of a giggle when I ring up customers.”

A survey, commissioned by FedEx Office in conjunction with Ketchum Global Research & Analytics, measured the importance of signage and its influence on consumer decisions from visiting your place of business to making a purchase.

The survey found that: ‘Nearly 76% of consumers said they had entered a store or business they had never visited before based simply on its signs’, and that ‘nearly 75% indicated that they had told others about a business simply based on its signage.’

Tina added: “These statistics are huge and really represent the impact that a unique and funny business name can have on business success and increasing custom.

“This is why, as a PR agency, we also specialise in marketing and event organisation. How you decide to present and promote your company is an essential part of business strategy.”