Toplis has reached agreement to acquire the rights to the licence with Kwik Copy, the US-based owner of the Kall Kwik brand, and with the administrators of ODC, which went into administration on Monday.

Speaking exclusively to PrintWeek, Toplis was bullish about the future prospects for the network, which currently has around 70 franchisees. "We will be the largest quickprinter in the UK within 12 months," he stated.

"We know Kall Kwik, we know the franchise owners and we understand the marketplace. The new offering will be a licensed arrangement, not a franchise.

"All our dealings will be open and transparent, and geared to giving everyone a benefit," he added. "Some [franchise owners] may choose not to continue with us, some may retire, but I'm hoping people will have faith in what we're offering."

Toplis ran Kall Kwik for almost a decade, and became chief executive of ODC under then-owner Adare. He left the company nine years ago to pursue a new opportunity in the franchising business.

He became managing director of Bardon Group, which owns a number of franchises including Recognition Express and Computer Xplorers. Bardon has acquired the Kall Kwik rights through a new subsidiary company, New KK Ltd.

Toplis is currently out of the country, but plans to meet with all Kall Kwik centre owners in the New Year. "People were not very positive about what happened in the past five to six years, but we've had a positive response so far. I hope that will continue."