The deal, revealed by PrintWeek last month (PrintWeek, 23 October), also includes the acquisition of httprints e-commerce division by Polestar.

Httprint will move from Milton Keynes to new premises at Junction 35 of the M1, north of Sheffield, on 14 November. Polestar now occupies its old premises.

North said httprints main competitive advantage was that its expertise included distribution and mailing, not just print management. The company also works with mail order companies that send catalogues outside of the UK. Last year it managed the production of more than 400m catalogues.

Httprint will go forward with six staff. Commercial director Jim Reid and technical director Paul Ballinger were also part of the buyout team.

Polestar has combined the acquired e-commerce business with its Whitefriars software operation and 4c, its print management arm, to form a new division, Polestar Applied Solutions.

Tim Smith, ex-European sales and marketing dir-ector of httprint Europe, becomes director of the division, which will continue to support external customers. Its not been acquired for internal software development, said Smith. Print intermediaries, including Williams Lea, are among its customers but Smith said none had expressed any doubts about Polestar now owning the business. Httprints e-commerce arm processed more than 120m of orders last year.

Story by Gordon Carson