A COMPANY which started off with ten members of staff using cardboard boxes for desks has become so successful in just seven years it has been forced to move out of Epping because there is not enough room for all its employees.

Media 10 Ltd began life as a small firm producing specialist magazines but has grown so much it now comprises a global mini-empire of publications and exhibitions, with an annual turnover of £30million and a workforce of 120.

Its rapid expansion means the business will now have to say farewell to its High Street offices in two weeks – although its local employees have been relieved to hear the company is moving the relatively short distance to Loughton, where it will occupy the offices above Nu Bar in the High Road.

Managing director Lee Newton, 44, said his firm's growth had been “amazing” but said he had always been quietly confident about its success.

He said: “I worked for a few companies but I got to the point where I wanted to run my own business. I live in Epping so I wanted to be based in the area.

“We put all our money into it. I mortgaged my house and put every penny into it. We didn't have much to start with, we were using deck chairs and cardboard boxes for desks.

"It is a shame we are moving from Epping but I just couldn't find anywhere big enough. I spent a year looking round for alternative buildings but just couldn't find any."

A big coup for Media 10 was its purchase of the Ideal Homes brand from the Daily Mail. The company ran the exhibition for the first time last year, attracting over 270,000 visitors.

The firm is now negotiating with two TV companies to shoot programmes about the event, while the company also now produces its own Ideal Homes magazine.

Mr Newton believes the company, which has won more than 20 industry awards, has managed to survive the impact of the recession by acting quickly to cut costs.

He said: “In my twenties I worked for a firm that went through the last recession so I used my experience from that. We decided to tighten our belts very early on, on the belief we could always untighten them at a later date.”

The company, which is expanding its Ideal Homes brand into Ireland and Australia over the next year, has also been so successful it has revived the The Ideal Homes for Heroes charity, paying out more than £100,000 already for the soldiers appeal.