Bates Office
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersRochester, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Bates Office firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bates Office
- Legal name
- Bates Office Services Ltd
- Website
- https://batesoffice.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bates Office industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Office Supplies and Workplace Procurement Services
- NAICS
- Stationery and Office Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42412), Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42342)
- SIC
- Office Furniture (2520), Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Office Supplies, IT & Workplace Procurement Marketplaces (CRAFAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Office Supplies Wholesale Distribution (CRAOALAF), Personnel Records, Document Management & Compliance (BPAAAIAD)
Keywords
Where Bates Office is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rochester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Bates Office business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Office Products & Supplies: Single-source procurement of 35,000+ office products including stationery, furniture, catering, cleaning, and janitorial supplies. Products sourced through exclusive Initiative and Harvest ranges as well as major brands, delivered through regional hubs with next-day nationwide delivery.
- Office Furniture & Interiors: Complete office furniture provision including planning, CAD design, installation, and responsible disposal of redundant items. Services include free interior planning, space planning, and ongoing support through Bates Studio design and build services.
- Document Management & Archiving: Secure document storage, indexing, archiving, and compliant destruction services. Covers document collection, secure storage, retrieval, and disposal.
- Waste Management Services: Confidential waste collection, toner collection, and general recycling services under zero-landfill policy. Includes secure shredding with full certifications and waste transfer notices.
- Design & Print Services: Total print management covering creative artwork, design, and production across digital and conventional printing methods. Includes corporate literature, stationery, promotional items, branded gifts, and stock management with next-day delivery.
- Workwear & PPE: Complete range of workwear and PPE through Bates Productivity brand, including branded uniforms, protective equipment, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, gloves, helmets, and respiratory protection.
- Tail End Management: Procurement consolidation services targeting the bottom 20% of spend across 80% of suppliers. Delivered through Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Commercial Procurement framework with real-time monitoring across 40+ KPIs.
- Education Services: Tailored resources for schools, colleges, and universities through Bates Education, supporting teaching and learning environments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Standard commercial pricing for office supplies and products |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | Contract pricing for approved framework customers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Bates Office product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bates Office is a UK B2B supplier providing single-source workplace procurement across office products, office furniture, document management, waste management, workwear and PPE, design and print, tail-end management, and education services. The company operates three national distribution centres with its own delivery fleet, serving multi-location enterprises and public sector organisations through direct sales, e-commerce, phone ordering, and approved public sector frameworks.
Product overview
Bates Office is a B2B office supplies and services provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected solutions. The core offering centres on Office Products (single-source procurement of 35,000+ items) and Office Furniture (design, space planning, and installation services). These are supported by Document Management (secure archiving and storage), Waste Management (confidential disposal and recycling), Workwear & PPE (via Bates Productivity sub-brand), Design & Print (total print management), Tail End Management (procurement consolidation), Digital Services, and Education Services. The Bates Studio sub-brand handles design and build for office fit-outs. The company also offers exclusive product ranges (Initiative and Harvest) through its position in one of the UK's largest buying groups. Services can be ordered online, by phone, or through dedicated representatives, with consolidated delivery through three national distribution centres.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bates Education: Educational services providing schools, colleges, and universities with tailored resources to support teaching and learning.
- Bates Productivity
- Bates Studio
Products and services
- Office Products Single-source procurement of 35,000+ office products including stationery, furniture, catering, cleaning, and janitorial supplies, with major brands and exclusive Initiative and Harvest ranges, intelligent stock management, and flexible ordering for business customers.
- Office Furniture Complete office furniture provision including planning, CAD design, space planning, installation, and responsible disposal of redundant items, offering a wide range of furniture and finishes for business customers.
- Document Management Secure document storage, indexing, archiving, and compliant destruction services including document collection, retrieval, controlled access, full traceability, and compliant disposal for business customers.
- Waste Management Comprehensive waste management including confidential waste collection, toner and mobile collection, secure shredding with full certifications and waste transfer notices, and general recycling under a zero-landfill policy.
- Workwear and PPE Complete workwear and personal protective equipment range through the Bates Productivity brand, including branded uniforms, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, gloves, helmets, and respiratory protection for workforce customers.
- Design and Print Total print management covering creative artwork, design, and production across offset litho, digital, and large format printing, including corporate literature, stationery, promotional items, branded gifts, and stock management with next-day delivery.
- Tail End Management Procurement consolidation service that targets the bottom 20% of spend across 80% of suppliers, delivered through the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Commercial Procurement framework with real-time monitoring across 40+ KPIs for NHS and public sector bodies.
- Education Services Tailored resources for schools, colleges, and universities through the Bates Education sub-brand, supporting teaching and learning environments with reliable supplies.
- Bates Studio Design and build service specialising in workplace design, space planning, and complete office fit-outs, creating functional and inspiring environments for business customers.
- Initiative and Harvest Ranges Exclusive office product ranges offering savings on everyday business essentials, including furniture, catering, cleaning, and janitorial supplies, available to Bates Office customers as part of its buying group access.
Quantifiable outcome
- Orders delivered next day: 98%
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bates Office
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bates Office technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bates Office partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Crown Commercial ServicecoreApproved supplier on the Crown Commercial Service framework, enabling public sector organisations to access Bates Office procurement services without further competition.
- NHS Supply ChaincoreApproved NHS supplier framework enabling NHS trusts and healthcare organisations to procure office supplies and services through established NHS procurement channels.
- ESPO (Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation)coreApproved supplier on ESPO framework providing public sector organisations access to Bates Office products and services through the procurement consortium.
- HealthTrust EuropecoreApproved supplier framework for healthcare and associated sectors enabling procurement of workplace supplies through HealthTrust Europe agreements.
- NEPO (North East Purchasing Organisation)coreApproved NEPO framework supplier enabling public sector organisations in the North East to access Bates Office procurement services.
- NHS Shared Business ServicescoreApproved supplier on NHS Shared Business Services framework, providing NHS bodies access to office supplies procurement through NHS SBS agreements.
- NWUPC (North West Universities Purchasing Consortium)coreApproved supplier enabling higher education institutions in the North West to procure office supplies through NWUPC framework agreements.
- YPO (Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation)coreApproved YPO framework supplier enabling public sector organisations across Yorkshire and surrounding regions to access Bates Office products.
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation TrustcoreTail End Management services delivered through Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Commercial Procurement framework (OJEU notice 2016/S 200-360874), allowing NHS bodies and eligible public sector organisations to access purchasing without further competition.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bates Office competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OTTO Office: OTTO Office is a UK-based B2B stationery and office products supplier with strong public sector framework presence, closely comparable in scale and segment focus to Bates Office.
- Banner Business Services: Banner is a UK B2B office supplies and furniture distributor with a similar mid-market focus, own delivery fleet, and multi-vertical customer base (legal, public sector, commercial), closely matching Bates's positioning.
- Viking (Office Depot): Viking is one of the largest UK B2B office supplies providers with multi-channel ordering, next-day delivery, and framework agreements, directly competing head-to-head with Bates Office across products, furniture, and services.
- Complete Office Supplies (COS): COS is a UK B2B office products and workplace consumables supplier targeting SMEs and mid-market with next-day delivery, competing directly with Bates's core office products offering.
- Lyreco UK: Lyreco is a major European B2B workplace supplies distributor operating in the UK across office products, furniture, and PPE with comparable procurement framework coverage and own delivery infrastructure.
Others
- YPO (Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation): YPO is a public sector buying organisation that operates its own office supplies framework, both as an indirect competitor (reselling office products) and as a framework partner Bates is approved onto.
Broad incumbents
- Staples UK: Staples UK operates a broad B2B and SMB office supplies catalogue with national delivery, overlapping with Bates's mid-market office products offering as a larger global incumbent.
- Amazon Business UK: Amazon Business is a large incumbents B2B procurement marketplace with deep catalogue, advanced spend analytics, and competitive pricing that increasingly competes for tail-end office spend traditionally routed through distributors like Bates.
- Office Depot UK (Office.org.uk): Office Depot operates a broader multi-vertical B2B supplies platform in the UK with deep catalogue and online ordering infrastructure, representing a larger incumbent that competes with Bates on enterprise accounts.
Regional players
- Nelson Office: Nelson Office is a UK B2B office supplies provider with strong regional delivery capability, similar product breadth to Bates, but typically more concentrated in specific geographies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bates Office social profiles
Digital presenceBates Office compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Bates Office financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bates Office leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Bates Office funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bates Office M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bates Office
What does Bates Office do?
Bates Office is a UK B2B supplier providing single-source workplace procurement across office products, office furniture, document management, waste management, workwear and PPE, design and print, tail-end management, and education services. The company operates three national distribution centres with its own delivery fleet, serving multi-location enterprises and public sector organisations through direct sales, e-commerce, phone ordering, and approved public sector frameworks.
Is Bates Office a public or private company?
Bates Office is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Bates Office founded?
Bates Office was founded in 1930. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Bates Office based?
Bates Office is headquartered in Rochester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bates Office make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Office Products & Supplies are the primary driver. The others are office Furniture & Interiors, document Management & Archiving, waste Management Services, design & Print Services, workwear & PPE, tail End Management and education Services.
Who are Bates Office's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OTTO Office, Banner Business Services, Viking (Office Depot), Complete Office Supplies (COS) and Lyreco UK. YPO (Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Staples UK, Amazon Business UK and Office Depot UK (Office.org.uk). Nelson Office is listed as a regional player.
Does Bates Office have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bates Office.
What industry is Bates Office in?
Bates Office's product category is Office Supplies and Workplace Procurement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAHAF, Office Supplies, IT & Workplace Procurement Marketplaces, with a secondary code of CRAOALAF, Office Supplies Wholesale Distribution. Its NAICS code is 42412 and its SIC code is 2520.