The opening of the Manchester-based company’s fourth office, in Shoreditch, follows the acquisition of Dutch marketing, design and print management company Relate4U in December, which was made by its newly formed Netherlands-based venture APS International.

Ellie Thouret, APS Group communications manager, said: "We have a number of clients in and around London and the new office will help us to further develop our business and better support our clients that are based in the south."

She added: "It was part of our expansion plan and we felt that it was the right time for us. We are hoping to continue the level of growth that we have achieved in the past few years, despite the difficult climate."

The London office, which currently employs eight staff, offers services including design, email marketing, direct mail and merchandising.

The APS Group opened an office in Edinburgh in 2010, which has more than 50 employees, and it also has a base in Portland, Oregon. The Group employs more than 550 staff worldwide and serves customers in a range of markets including financial services, retail, pharmaceutical and the public sector.

Its clients in the south include Aviva Investors and Superdrug, which is based in Croydon.