Just occasionally, say once in a blue moon or when Halley's comet comes around, I get something right. And so it came to pass on Friday evening when St Ives announced it was disposing of its USA operations by selling the business to its management. So please indulge me while I have a brief "as I predicted" moment. That noise in the background is me blowing my own trumpet.

Having previously documented how problematic, and costly, international expansion has proved for the group here, and that the improved performance in the US could well be a precursor to a sell-off, there's little more to say other than it was about time they got shot of it. Share price update: over the Christmas/New Year period St Ives shares have "soared" from 67p to 88p. Assuming they can maintain the divi the return available is a no-brainer.

This retrenchment started me thinking about how few print businesses have succeeded on a truly global scale. Just look at the mess Quebecor World ended up in. One of the notable exceptions is RR Donnelley, which keeps on acquiring at home and abroad - though not entirely without pain. The group kicked off 2009 by expanding its operations in the lucrative Latin American market with the $23.5m acquisition of Chilean web printer PROSA. Seems that Donnelley has achieved a size and scale such that the occasional costly foray doesn't disrupt the overall juggernaut.