The buy means the AJS business has effectively gone full circle, as the label printer was owned by US-headquartered group AGI Media prior to being acquired by husband and wife team Andrew and Jayne Scrimgeour in 2009.
MPS acquired the US and Asia operations of AGI-Shorewood Group two years ago.
The multiple-award-winning AJS has two sites in the UK – on the south coast at Littlehampton and AJS North in Featherstone, Yorkshire.
It employs around 80 staff and produces self-adhesive labels for blue chip clients in a number of sectors, including healthy and beauty, confectionery and personal care. Clients include The Body Shop, L’Oréal, Nestlé, Arundel Brewery and Bell’s Healthcare.
The company’s setup spans conventional and digital label printing, including equipment from MPS and HP Indigo.
Announcing the deal, MPS chief executive Marc Shore said: “The acquisition of AJS is consistent with our strategy to develop a more substantial position in their end markets. It will help us grow the business organically and be part of our expanding global capability in the label space.”
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Scrimgeours were travelling abroad and unavailable for further comment at the time of writing.
In a statement they said they were proud of what had been achieved over the past seven years, at what had been a loss-making operation prior to their involvement. “We have built a strong reputation for innovation and service and we now produce an extensive range of labels for some of Europe’s best-known brands.
“The deal will allow the company to realise its ambitious plans to grow and develop as part of a business with a global footprint and a broader range of capabilities,” they said.
PrintWeek understands that the Scrimgeours will remain with the company for an unspecified handover period.
At the same time as the AJS deal, MPS also announced that it had acquired Texan firm i3 Plastic Cards.
The two purchases will add circa $25m (£20m) of sales to the group. MPS posted turnover of $1.7bn (£1.4bn) in the year to 30 June and employs around 8,800 staff worldwide.
