The firms sales and marketing director David Graham and customer services director Phil Simpson joined up with new managing director John Savage and new finance director Kevin Barnsley to buy the business from its founders.

Savage and Barnsley had been looking for a company to buy and heard that Premier Prints existing owners, David Mack, Tony Storey and David Tye, wanted to sell their shareholdings. Mack plans to retire. It had a good track record and had been around for a while, but we also saw the potential in it, said Savage.

Savage and Graham both have experience in print management and print buying, and plan to grow the 4.6m-turnover, 36-staff business substantially by providing a total print management service. We have the facility for handling large print contracts and not just in litho, but also web, labels and packaging, added Savage.

Savage has 20 years experience in print, including spells at Heanor Gate, Brampton Print, Loxleys and latterly as projects director at marketing firm Equanim.

Story by Rachel Barnes