Access Plus has reported a 26% rise in interim turnover to 14.8m and has picked up a lucrative two-year contract with fashion retailer Next.

Tim Brettell, chairman of the Bristol-based print management group, said: Were still developing the value of this contract, but it puts Next into our list of top 10 customers.

The groups results for the period ending 30 June showed gross profits of 4.7m, up 36%. Pre-tax profit rose 8% to 2.28m

But its direct mail business suffered a downturn, with sales dropping 28% to 2.7m.

The groups largest sectors, travel, charity, leisure, finance and home shopping, grew by just 1.6%. Brettell said the foot-and-mouth outbreak, combined with the run-up to the general election, had affected the sector.

Three major campaigns were delayed people were reluctant to launch a new brand with the whole country focused on the election, he said.

He added that he expected the sector to pick up, with September and October looking particularly strong.

There was good news from the print management side, with 9.6m of sales, compared with 5.6m last year. The special and security products side of the business remained stable, with sales of 2.5m, compared with 2.4m in 2000.

Brettell said the group would expand its e-business, and had doubled its volume of e-commerce work compared with last year. More and more existing customers want it, he said.

He added that the group was in a good position to make selective acquisitions. The group bought Leicestershire-based printers and print managers Software Stationery last July for 11.2m, (PrintWeek, 7 July 2000).

Story by Fay Schopen