Polestar has finalised the 24m deal to acquire Spanish gravure printer HelioColor, and has outlined its intent to be regarded as a "European rather than primarily UK" printer.


The buy makes Polestar the biggest gravure printer in Spain, which chief executive Jim Brown described as "an ideal base from which to export print". The group has also formed a new Europe-wide sales team to sell into continental countries where Polestar does not print.


As part of the deal to buy the 26m-turnover business, Polestar will print five titles for its previous owner, publisher Hachette. Brown said: "In Europe gravure is still the dominant process and is ideally suited to long runs - you can't get the same economies even with high-speed webs."


In its UK operation, Brown said he was "ensuring the structure and change in culture was filtering down - this is a big organisation and I'm trying to ensure that when we talk about customer care and key accounts it actually happens."


Internet site Polestar Online goes live at the end of next week.


However, senior staff turnover remains an issue in the UK. Former Polestar Watmoughs managing director Barry Smith, who moved to a key accounts role earlier this year, has left the group. "I'd been here 27 years and it was time for a change," said Smith. "I will either stay in print or go back to finance."


Polestar Colchester managing director David Wells has left "for personal reasons" and has been replaced by former Acorn Web Offset/Wiltshire director Peter Schofield.


Story by Jo Francis