SHREWD Bury businessman Dean Mason is “boxing” clever and fighting to prove there is life after redundancy.

After losing his job following the takeover of Bury-based Equanet last year, the 29-year-old has bounced back by launching his own online company, The IT Box.

The firm, located at Bury’s Ela Mill business complex in Cork Street, has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in just nine months, supplying information technology goods to a growing portfolio of NHS and other clients.

Dean is turning over a six-figure sum and is aiming for increased income and jobs.

The ITBox.co.uk, the online store for Green Cloud IT, offers goods for sale including computers, consumables, cameras, televisions and IT hardware and software equipment.

“The website has more than 85,000 products that are all in stock for next-day delivery,” said Dean.

“We deal direct with manufacturers and distributors such as HP, Brother and Canon, and we will be offering additional products to the ones we have already.”

His biggest clients are NHS trusts. The fact that Dean’s company is smaller, and with fewer overheads than other suppliers, means he can sell goods at lower price.

Dean said: “Because we don’t have to have a particularly high percentage of profit, that means we can save the Government and the NHS money on their IT spend.

“NHS trusts account for around 90 per cent of our business. The website was launched to target more small and medium-sized businesses.”

“I had quite a few contacts in the NHS as I’d been doing that previously. ”

He is upbeat about how successful the IT Box has become in a short period.

Dean added: “Despite having no trading history, I’m now turning over large volumes of orders which are increasing on a weekly basis. It’s all down to keeping customers happy and on board and getting the pricing correct.

“It was scary at first and I had a lot to learn with regard to running my own business, particularly on the accounts side.

"I want to take on an apprentice, get more people on board and within three years to turn over more than £500,000 and have five members of staff.”