DG3 Europe, via DG3 Group (Holdings), has acquired the ongoing business and goodwill of Bedford-based Newnorth, which has to vacate its current site at the end of the year.
Newnorth was established in 1966, and in 1983 acquired long-established local printer Henry Burt & Son, which dated back to 1863. The Newnorth factory is located in an industrial area at the end of a residential street in the Kempston area of Bedford, and the site – which was owned by the company – was sold to be redeveloped into housing last year.
Managing director and owner Garry Hardy said the firm had needed to vacate the site by the end of December, which precipitated the sale of the business to DG3.
Newnorth produces litho and digital commercial print for a range of blue-chip clients, and prides itself on its ‘five-star guarantee’ price and service offering. It has combined litho and digital sales of around £6.2m.
Hardy also owns separate business 3B Design & Print, based in March near Peterborough. This company specialises in creative services, signage, and display and exhibition graphics. It is not included in the sale and continues to trade independently.
DG3 Europe is part of the US-headquartered Diversified Global Graphics (DG3) Group. Worldwide president and chief executive Steve Babat said he was pleased to welcome Newnorth to the DG3 family.
“DG3’s platform provides high quality execution as well as expansion opportunities to the Newnorth clients, and Newnorth brings an impressive team and client list with them to DG3. We look forward to delighting Newnorth clients and are committed to growing with them.”
In a letter to clients, Hardy said the deal would result in an expansion of services to customers: “You will now have access to a wide range of services that we have never been able to provide before including continuous feed production inkjet for variable printing, B2 Indigo printing machines and various other finishing options.
“With these additional services and the current large format offering at 3B Design & Print we are now able to offer a printed solution for all your needs.”
Newnorth has around 40 staff and they have transferred to DG3, while production will be transferred to DG3’s facilities over the coming months. DG3 has production sites in Dagenham and Gillingham.
Newnorth’s equipment, which includes two B1 presses: a ten-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster and a five-colour Mitsubishi, did not form part of the sale. The firm also runs HP Indigo digital kit.
The firm will retain a Bedford office for client services and pre-press functions.
Separately, it has emerged that long-serving DG3 Europe managing director Barry Page, who joined the company in 2002, has left the business. His DG3 directorships were terminated on 17 June.
A DG3 spokesperson said Page had left to “pursue his own interests”. Page’s future plans are unknown and PrintWeek had not been able to reach him for comment at the time of writing.
His responsibilities have been taken over by Gary Wilson, managing director of the DG3 Leycol business that became part of DG3 just under two years ago.
Over the past nine months DG3 has made a number of significant investments, including its first continuous feed inkjet press, a Xerox Trivor 2400 HF, and a new five-colour Rapida 106 from Koenig & Bauer.
DG3 Group (Holdings) had sales of £25.7m in its most recent accounts, for calendar year 2017.
