Managing director of the Essex-based web-to-print specialist since 2019, Cooper has seen the firm continue a streak of strong growth, with the business expanding its product portfolio significantly, and as well as building a culture of “trust and autonomy” at the company.
“With this realigned joint focus, Onlineprinters and Solopress are in a much better position to conquer the European market,” said Cooper.
“I am very pleased to be able to take both companies forward together and further develop our brands in the face of tough competition.We will continue to produce locally in Germany, the UK and Spain in order to be as close to our customers as possible.”
Speaking to Printweek, Cooper added he was “delighted” to have been given the opportunity.
“There is plenty for each brand (Solopress and Onlineprinters) to learn from each other, and the combination of all that expertise is going to drive future success.”
Cooper himself brings 30 years’ experience in the industry to the role, 13 of which have seen him focus on e-commerce.
“We’ve got such a great opportunity to grow the business quickly and profitably,” he added.
“I'm looking forward to maximising the potential of the group. Previous roles gave me a taste of growing businesses across Europe and I'm looking forward to replicating that success in this role.”
Cooper took his place on the group’s international management board in the newly created dual role in May, alongside Esben Mols Kabell, managing director of Scandinavian Print Group (SPG) and mergers and acquisitions, Tobias Volgmann, group CFO, and Sascha Krines, group CEO.
Krines himself was raised to group CEO in March 2024, following the departure of previous CEO Roland Keppler, with Volgmann replacing Krines as CFO.
Krines said Cooper’s appointment would help the group as a whole take advantage of the latest print technologies through better knowledge sharing: “We want to share our knowledge and utilise important developments in the field of software technology jointly and in a resource-efficient manner. By integrating groundbreaking innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), we want to stay ahead of the competition and further optimise the customer experience.”
Turning over £35.5m in 2023, Solopress is on track to clear £40m this year, with target revenues of £60m for 2026. Heavy investment in kit has backed up these goals, with the firm taking delivery of the UK’s first HP Indigo 120k in July.
Solopress was acquired by the Onlineprinters group in 2017, when it turned over around £21m annually.
