The deal, completed on 4 April, means the manufacturer takes over the distributor, which has been an authorised Konica Minolta dealership for more than 20 years.

Presses in the Konica Minolta range include the 25ppm bizhub C253 colour copier and the black and white bizhub 250.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions head of marketing, John Howard, told printweek.com: "The acquisition is in-line with our growth strategy."

He added: "For the foreseeable future, Ideal will operate as a distributorship with the global power of Konica Minolta behind them."

Managing director of Konica Minolta Business Solutions, Yuji Kobayashi, said the acquisition will "facilitate and support the continued growth of Ideal, and at the same time contribute to Konica Minolta's drive towards its strategic market goals in the UK".