The deal will involve producing in-store and ticketing material across the client’s 187-store network including food, funeral care and department shops. APS Group will also produce membership, head office and communications collateral.
A spokeswoman said APS Group would print at its base in Cheadle Heath, Cheshire, and, at the request of the client, would also use small local printers that have worked with the Co-op for several years.
"Volumes will vary, from items like pull-up banners bought in single numbers to poster kits and leaflets in runs up to 500,000," she said. "APS Group will also offer logistics, fulfilment and distribution as well as on-site account management."
The group’s in-house print production facilities include high-end sheet-fed presses for anything from small-run stationery to large corporate brochures. APS Group also produces personalised direct marketing, web-to-print and digital work on a variety of substrates.
APS Group account manager Joanne Watts said the contract was new and her company looked forward to improving efficiency across the company’s print output. This would include auditing the needs of each store and making each point-of-sale delivery store specific.
"This will eliminate waste and ensure each store has exactly what it needs," said Watts who did not reveal the value of the contract. "It is great to work with clients that share our own corporate social responsibility principles."
She said as part of the tendering process Midlands Co-operative Society wanted cost effectiveness and quality. APS Group had a strong record in retail, with clients including Superdrug, and used the latest data automation processes in ticketing and POS work.
The society’s procurement manager John McGlade said: "We wanted to work with a trusted provider of data solutions that could maintain quality and improve efficiency and processes. APS Group stood out as being the complete package."
Midlands Co-operative Society has more than 7,000 staff across 12 counties. The business racks up nearly £25m of profits on gross sales of £670m and opened 15 food stores and two funeral homes last year. Further expansion in food stores is underway this year.
Earlier this year APS Group won a three-year contract to manage all printed materials for the RSPCA, after seeing off 10 rival bidders in a competitive tender that saw animal charity outsource its print needs.
APS Group employs over 600 staff across 20 sites worldwide and makes a turnover of £58m from customers in markets including retail, financial services, the automotive industry, charity, pharmaceutical and the public sector. It also has bases in Scotland, Holland and France.
