The merger of Antalis Visual Communications and McNaughton Printall, which will complete on 28 April, is the first stage in the re-shaping of the business after Antalis bought MAP Merchants, James McNaughton’s owner, last year.

It will provide a central conversion facility, local sales offices in the North, South and Midlands, and a product range of more than 1,000 screen, signage and digital products.

The sites due to merge are the existing Antalis Visual Communications office in Leicestershire and the McNaughton sites at Manchester and Surrey.

Former sales director at McNaughton Printall, Tony Marshall, has been appointed as the divisional director at Antalis Printall.

Colin Palazzo, previously of Antalis Visual Communications, has been appointed as sales director.

The Antalis division offers commercial signs, advertising panels and point-of-sale materials.

In October last year, paper merchant Antalis acquired James McNaughton Paper Group and Premier Paper Group with the €382m (£258m) acquisition of Map Merchant Group.

Antalis UK distributes papers, envelopes, consumables, packaging and promotional products in the UK and Ireland. It has 15 logistics centres across the UK and Ireland and is a fully owned subsidiary of Sequana Capital.