The Birmingham-based company has had exclusive sales rights on Advocate since its other supplier, Paperlinx UK, went into administration on 1 April. It will now be manufactured by a UK paper mill “to the same exacting standards and recipe”, according to Premier. The company has not said which mill. 

Brands include Advocate Smooth Natural White, Smooth Xtreme White and Laid Xtreme White in a wide variety of sizes and weights as well as matching DL 100gsm envelopes. Advocate is made from 100% elemental chlorine-free (ECF) wood pulps, sourced from sustainable forests.

Premier is also planning to extend the range further with the addition of digital sizes for colour laser printers and HP Indigo presses.

Marketing director Dave Jones said: “Advocate is a very important brand for many customers and I am pleased that we have managed to secure the brand and all the associated intellectual property rights.”

The administrators of both Paperlinx UK and Tullis Russell Papermakers, which followed Paperlinx UK into administration in May, have engaged IP specialist Metis Partners to sell the companies’ IP, brands, website URLs and logos.

A spokesman for Paperlinx UK administrators Deloitte said: “This process is ongoing with significant interest shown in many of the brand names.”

Tullis Russell Papermakers had built up losses of £18.5m over five years, but group chief executive Chris Parr said Paperlinx UK's collapse was the trigger for its downfall. The Deloitte administrators’ reports for the various Paperlinx UK businesses revealed that the merchant owed Tullis Russell more than £1.2m when administrators took over.

So far it has been revealed that GF Smith has bought Naturalis and Premier Paper has bought Advocate with KPMG and Metis Partners remaining tight-lipped other Tullis Russell brands such as Trucard and Mellotex.

KPMG has also appointed John Wilkie Paper Mill Services to sell the Fife mill’s paper making machinery and GMG Asset Management UK to sell the other assets. 

Meanwhile its former sales director Malcolm Sinclair has been engaged by Arjowiggins to push Teknocard, a new SBS product aimed at the Trucard market and launched this week.

Premier Paper said it has 30,000 tonnes of paper held throughout its branch network, offering some 5,500 different product items.