Williams Lea CCM is the customer communications division of the Williams Lea Tag Group. It employs 425 staff and has sales of around £40m. 

Paragon described the business as a complementary fit with its existing offering. It runs predominantly Canon kit and offers printing, mailing, sortation and warehousing services encompassing outbound mail, postal receipt, scanning and document storage.

Paragon Customer Communications had sales of around £400m prior to the latest buy. 

Jeremy Walters, CEO of Paragon Customer Communications UK, Ireland and Luxembourg said the buy strengthened the division’s position “as one of the most trusted and reliable service providers in the customer communications market, and further consolidates our position as a technology-enabled international business services group”.

“We are acquiring a great business with a great reputation in our market, driven by excellent people,” he stated. 

Existing contracts with customers including Aviva, NatWest, Virgin Money, Capital One, and the Student Loans Company will transfer with the business. 

The Williams Lea CCM sites are at Shepshed near Loughborough, Norwich and Normanton. 

Williams Lea CCM managing director John Evans said that Paragon “sets the standard for quality, performance, and innovation that others aspire to”. 

“I am delighted to be joining the Paragon family along with my 425 valued colleagues, and each of our cherished clients.”

John Rogers, Paragon Group executive director of corporate development, also commented on Paragon’s appetite for further M&A deals: “Paragon remains committed to its acquisition growth strategy in a market that clearly remains fragmented and provides outstanding opportunity for further expansion, in particular to cross sell our extensive digital solutions.”

Speaking about the situation regarding YM Group’s stricken web offset division factories, where employees have been made redundant and left unpaid, Walters told Printweek: “We really feel for all the employees there, particularly as they were not paid for their last month’s work. If we have roles available that match their skill sets, we would welcome their applications.”

The overall Paragon Group has sales of €1.5bn and employs more than 9,000 staff. 

The Williams Lea Tag group of companies was acquired by Advent International four-and-a-half years ago, and was separated into two business units in 2019.

Denise Reid, global managing director, business development and marketing, said: “Under the Williams Lea Tag Group umbrella, the customer communications services division (WL CCM) provided world-class customer communications services to leading UK businesses.  Paragon Customer Communications is the market leader in this area, with deep expertise in digital and physical transactional communications and we are delighted that our WL CCM employees and clients will benefit from that focus.

“Our Williams Lea and Tag businesses will continue operations under Advent International’s ownership. Williams Lea providing business support services to global financial, legal and professional services clients as well as UK public sector clients and Tag providing global creative production and sourcing services.”