Islington, London-based Print Evolved completed the deal yesterday (25 April) to buy Tonbridge, Kent-based VR Print, a recent Printweek Awards winner for Innovations of the Year: Photobooks.

Print Evolved managing director Spencer Slee said: “This is a friendly acquisition with benefits for all. VR Print is an extremely well run, advanced technology company with a complementary offering to our own.

“Combining our resources will maximise operating efficiencies and together we will have a greater customer base, all of whom will be able to take advantage of the additional services available.”

Print Evolved, which in October acquired Mayfield Press (Oxford), now has factories in Islington, Oxford, Gerrards Cross, and Tonbridge.

Following its latest deal, the company said it can fulfil “virtually any online print requirement” and that with VR it has added further specialist equipment for the production of in-house short-run personalised books, direct mail, and fulfilment.

VR Print was established in 2009 and employs 38 staff, who will be retained. Trading as VR Print, VR Live, Wowbooks, and Pocket Memories, the business will continue to operate from its current premises, where it runs HP Indigo and Konica Minolta digital presses and a raft of finishing and direct mail equipment.

VR Print managing director Andrew Balcombe said: “This is an exciting bringing together of two of the country’s major web-to-print businesses enabling us to merge the technical specialities of both.

“Our combined automated workflow systems give greater capacity, improved efficiency and customer benefits, notably with an economical, same-day service for the London area.

“Whilst my exit has been accelerated by health issues, the forward plan for VR has been to join a like-minded partner to take the company forward. I believe that joining Print Evolved is an excellent fit, giving greater size and scale to compete at all levels and significantly increasing our offering in order to better meet customers’ evolving needs.”

The addition of VR Print takes the combined group’s headcount to over 160; Print Evolved, which trades as Print Evolved, Cognitu, Mainstream Print, and Cardsmadeasy, has 45 staff while Mayfield Press (Oxford), which trades as Mayfield, Gpex, 9impressions, and Murrays the Printers, employs 80 staff.

In late 2017 Print Evolved, which was publicly known as Ivor Solution until it was rebranded in 2016, installed a Hans Gronhi litho press.