The move also heralds a new era of choosiness about which titles the group will or will not print, as it eliminates unprofitable contracts.

Separately, the £310m (UK - £276m) turnover group has at least one potential acquisition target in its sights. Chief executive Barry Hibbert told PrintWeek: "We are looking at acquisitions and that means funding, and we are in discussions with our shareholders now.

"It might come from our existing shareholders or new investors. However, I want to restructure our existing portfolio before taking on any acquisitions," he said.

He added: "We have some capacity that is coming to the end of its lifespan and, subject to consultation, we will be removing about 7,000 hours of gravure and web-offset production next year."

Hibbert’s comments came as Polestar began consultation with staff at its Varnicoat site following the loss of the Express Newspapers’ supplements to pan-European print group Roto Smeets.

Express publisher Northern & Shell (N&S) also plans to move the printing of New! and Star magazines from Polestar to BGP.

Hibbert cited N&S as an example of work the group is prepared to walk away from, rather than engage in the "huge price war" that is occurring on the continent.

"Pricing levels in certain areas are uneconomical, and it makes sense to regroup rather than keep volume for volume’s sake," he stated. "We’ve gained a lot of work over the past 12 months, including the BMJ titles and Best for NatMags, and we have to be selective about the type of work we keep.

"We will exit contracts and commercial repeat jobs that are no longer viable."

Proposals include downsizing the Varnicoat gravure plant and running it as a satellite to the flagship Sheffield site. As a result Polestar’s contractual fill will jump from 64% to 78%.

"Some of our key assets are full for the foreseeable future," Hibbert added.