November 2010

Walstead Investments, owner of Wyndeham Press Group, acquired Apple Web Offset, putting an end to a period of uncertainty for the 84-staff commercial printer. A week later it revealed plans to cut capacity and jobs at Southernprint and Southern BindersPotts Printers rebranded on the back of "record" 2010 sales while turnover was on course to hit the £12m mark by the end of the year… Paper giant UPM signed a five-year pressroom waste deal with gravure printer Prinovis LiverpoolTarget Print helped uncover one of the largest cannabis factories ever found in West Yorkshire after alerting police to activity at its Whitehall Cross Industrial Estate site… Receivership-hit Inveresk’s St Cuthberts Paper Mill was bought by its general manager securing all 41 jobs… Banner Managed Communications Guildford production workers were told that a 10% pay cut imposed by previous owners would remain… Communisis secured a five-year contract renewal with its largest customer, Barclays Bank, a deal that extended the relationship between the companies until 2015… Press manufacturer KBA said its order targets for 2010 had been reached by the third quar­ter… Cats Group bought personalised greetings card business Yoodoo… Italian web-to-print printer Pixart announced a partnership with east-London-based Precision Printing to for­mally launch a UK version of its service… It was announced that Charles Jarrold would take up a new role at St Ives, becoming managing director of the group’s web division from December… Operating losses at BGP were down 43% as parent Goodhead Group reported "a significant improve­ment" in its trading performance… St Ives sold its south London headquar­ters for £6.3m and said it would relo­cate to new offices close to Blackfriars station in 2011… Butler Tanner and Dennis printed the first book pre-emp­tively celebrating the royal wedding just 10 days after Prince William and Kate Middleton held a surprise press conference to announce the news…