The rebranded company, Northwolds Richardson, will operate from NorthWolds’ site in Pocklington, east of York.

The acquisition of staff, assets, and order book has seen the two like-sized B2 printing firms join to form a 25-strong team, with no job losses. 

Gurdev Singh, NorthWolds’ owner, told Printweek that he had been introduced to Wood Richardson owner Judy Richardson and her son, managing director James Richardson, in the summer of 2022.

The older Richardson was 75, and been managing the business with her son since her husband John fell ill with dementia in 2015. Their son, who took up the role of MD, is a passionate commercial diver; the pair had decided to consider moving the family on from the business it had stewarded since the 1920s.

Singh said: “We had been talking with Judy and James for a great many months, and then had a very sad bit of news right in the middle of discussions.”

Judy Richardson passed away in late 2022, with The York Press reporting an attendance of more than 200 at her funeral.

After putting the sale on hold for a period, Singh and James Richardson completed the deal on 12 May. 

While Wood Richardson was not in trouble, Singh said, it required active leadership to help it navigate the multiple crises that have hit the industry in the past year.

“They were ready to move on. You’ve got to be quite hands-on these days, with inflation and the aftermath of the pandemic. James wanted to dive, and so it just made sense," he said.

The acquisition will see senior managers from the Wood Richardson business join the NorthWolds leadership team, Singh said.

“Putting the two companies together means that we have a good leadership team from across the two businesses and a much stronger order book," he added.

The purchase has seen NorthWolds take up some of Wood Richardson’s finishing equipment, though with a Komori Spica and Lithrone, it has not taken on the older firm’s presses, which are to be sold.

Singh added that the most important part of the sale had been judging the cultural fit.

“I’ve been through acquisitions before in my career,” he said, “and when it has failed, generally, it is because of the cultures of the two companies being too far apart.

“We had a look at what kind of work we did, what kind of customers we had; there were some very long-standing customers, and everything seemed to be oriented around quality customer service in both companies, so that was a driving factor.”

Now combined, the company has a turnover of around £2.5m.

He added: “We’ve done [the deal], and now the hard work begins – but we have a plan, and there’s a half dozen people involved in seeing it through from both sides. I think [the purchase] gives us a confidence for the future, which all printing companies need.”

Richardson plans to lease the old Wood Richardson site commercially.