Sinclair Design

What Sinclair Design does

Sinclair Design is a privately held UK software company founded in 1987 by Roy Sinclair, an ex-RAF aerospace technician, originally as a London-based Strategic Design Consultancy. The firm pivoted to web application and software development in 1996 and is now headquartered in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. It operates a platform-and-modules architecture anchored by a proprietary ERP framework, with four trademarked products: Site System™ (responsive website CMS), Merchant System™ (hosted ecommerce), Hotel System™ (cloud-based property management, launched 1999 and self-described as a market first), and Circuit System™ (motorsport venue ERP, launched 2008), plus a Conference System™ module and bespoke Custom ERP Solutions built on the shared framework.

The business serves UK clients ranging from small businesses to enterprises across hospitality, motorsport venues, ecommerce/retail, and construction/manufacturing, with select reference relationships spanning 14 to 20+ years. Revenue is generated primarily through subscription/recurring arrangements on its hosted software (website CMS, ecommerce platform, vertical ERP products) supplemented by professional services such as logo and identity development, copywriting, SEO/SMO, domain management, email accounts, and photographic enhancement. Pricing is consultation-based with no publicly disclosed tiers, and the go-to-market is consultative direct sales covering the UK only.

The company is founder-led with no disclosed external shareholders, no funding rounds, no parent company, and no acquisition history; it develops and hosts its software in-house, granting it full control of the cloud stack and data flow. Operating signals point to a stable, long-lived niche consultancy rather than a high-growth venture, with limited public surface area beyond its corporate website, testimonials page, and an active blog covering design, business, and lifestyle topics.

Name

Sinclair Design

Legal name

Sinclair Design

Website

https://sinclairdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sinclair Design is a UK-based private software firm founded in 1987 that develops bespoke website design tools and proprietary cloud-based ERP systems for niche verticals including hospitality, motorsport venues, and conference facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Website Design and ERP Software Solutions

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Core ERP Suites (Financials, Procurement, Projects) (HDAEAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

ERP Implementation & Systems Integration Services (BPAEAGAA)

Keywords

• Bespoke website design
• ERP software solutions
• Property management systems
• Ecommerce platforms
• Cloud-based ERP

Headquarters

HQ city

Corwen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Website Design Services: Bespoke website design and development services including Site System CMS implementation and hosting
2. Ecommerce Solutions: Merchant System ecommerce platform available in three versions to suit different budget and technical requirements
3. Custom ERP Solutions: Custom ERP development based on proprietary framework for various business types including hotel, conference, and motorsport venue management
4. Additional Services: Logo and identity development, copywriting, SEO/SMO services, domain management, email accounts, photographic enhancement, assisted website build

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sinclair Design develops and hosts bespoke website design, responsive CMS and ecommerce platforms (Site System™ and Merchant System™) along with a proprietary ERP framework that powers industry-specific systems including Hotel System™ (cloud-based property management), Circuit System™ (motorsport venue ERP) and Conference System™. The company provides end-to-end services from logo and identity development, copywriting and SEO/SMO to custom ERP implementation for UK businesses ranging from small firms to large enterprises.

Product overview

Sinclair Design operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its proprietary ERP framework. The core offering includes Site System™ (responsive website CMS) and Merchant System™ (ecommerce platform) as web solutions, alongside an ERP suite comprising Hotel System™ (world's first cloud-based property management system, 1999), Circuit System™ (motorsport venue management, 2008), and Conference System™ (event management). All ERP products are built on a shared purpose-built framework, with Custom ERP Solutions available for bespoke requirements. Supporting services include logo and identity development, copywriting, SEO/SMO, photographic enhancement, domain management, and email accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site System™ A fast and responsive website content management system (CMS) that automatically adapts to PC, tablet and mobile. Provides a technically advanced, bespoke-branded website shell allowing content management without HTML or CSS knowledge.
• Merchant System™ A Google-friendly, responsive, hosted ecommerce solution available in three versions that automatically adapts to PC, tablet and smartphone, providing a bespoke, professionally branded online store with feature-rich functionality.
• Hotel System™ The world's first cloud-based property management system, providing comprehensive hotel and hospitality operations management as part of Sinclair Design's ERP suite.
• Circuit System™ An ERP system for motorsport venues providing intuitive, simple circuit management with automated, smarter and more efficient business management capabilities.
• Conference System™ An ERP solution component for conference and event management, built as part of Sinclair Design's modular ERP framework.
• Custom ERP Solutions Bespoke ERP development built on Sinclair Design's purpose-built ERP framework, providing custom functionality while maintaining affordability compared to fully custom solutions or rigid off-the-shelf packages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hotel System described as 'stable and robust' after 14 years of use by Woodlands Hotel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cloudbeds: Cloudbeds is a cloud-based property management system for hotels, hostels, and hospitality — directly competing with Sinclair Design's Hotel System™ in the same customer segment with similar functionality (reservations, operations, channel management).
• Mews: Mews is a cloud-native hospitality PMS competing head-to-head with Hotel System for hotels and lodging operators globally. Like Sinclair, Mews emphasizes modern cloud architecture over legacy on-premise PMS systems.

Emerging players

• Webflow: Webflow is a modern website design and CMS platform targeting professional designers and SMBs — overlapping with Sinclair Design's Site System™ value proposition of building responsive, branded websites without code.
• Squarespace: Squarespace offers hosted website and ecommerce builders targeting SMBs and creatives — directly competing with Sinclair Design's Site System and Merchant System offerings on usability and recurring subscription pricing.

Regional players

• BrightHR: BrightHR is a UK-based HR and people-management software provider serving SMBs — comparable as a UK regional vertical software firm with similar customer size tier to Sinclair Design's mid-market enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Cvent: Cvent is a global leader in event and conference management software — directly comparable to Sinclair Design's Conference System™ module within its ERP framework for conference and event facilities.
• Shopify: Shopify is the dominant hosted ecommerce platform serving SMBs globally — competing with Sinclair Design's Merchant System™ in the same hosted-ecommerce-for-SMBs category.
• Access Group: Access Group is a UK-based provider of business management software including ERP, HR, and CRM — competing broadly with Sinclair Design's ERP framework across multiple verticals.
• Sage Group: Sage is a UK-headquartered incumbent in business and ERP software, serving SMBs and mid-market — Sinclair Design's exact ERP target segment. Represents the broader competitive context for custom ERP framework offerings.
• Oracle NetSuite: NetSuite is a leading cloud ERP suite for mid-market and enterprise, competing with Sinclair Design's custom ERP framework on functionality, scale, and integration depth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sinclair Design