The Colchester-based business failed after it was hit by a large bad debt when major customer The Book People went bust at the end of last year.

The debt was listed as £458,560 by The Book People’s administrators, but shows as £435,922 on the Callimedia statement of affairs. 

The print management firm’s unpaid bills with a wide range of printing and mailing suppliers ranged from the low thousands to six-figure sums, with YM Group’s York Mailing owed nearly £303,000, making it the single-largest creditor of the business.

UK web offset printers accounted for the bulk of the debt, and were collectively owed more than £700,000.

Callimedia’s paper suppliers: Sappi, SCA, Stora Enso and UPM, were together owed nearly £315,000.

HSBC Invoice Finance was owed £188,742.

Callimedia owed its creditors a total of £1.56m, and the company has an estimated total deficiency of £1.1m, according to the report.

The report from joint administrators Paul Pittman and Paul Higley of Price Bailey also states that a £1.39m loan from Callimedia to parent company Marlixia – understood to relate to Graham Reed’s buyout of the Callimedia business in September 2017 – was not likely to be recoverable and it appears as ‘nil’ in the summary of assets.

Printweek has been unable to reach Reed for comment.

The name, business and assets of Callimedia were subsequently sold in a pre-pack deal that marked the return of former owner Douglas Suttle.