The deal for the merger involved Stanbury Chameleon buying Farley’s machinery, which consisted of a four-colour KBA Karat 46 litho press and a guillotine, and also the consultancy services for the next four years of its co-owners Ian and Fiona Farley. Total investment was around £135,000.
The deal was completed on 1 March and all machinery and Farley’s three staff had moved over to Stanbury’s Gosport premises by 23 March.
Stanbury, which was acquired in 2002 by brothers Robert and Patrick Crosley, initially merged with Chameleon Print, formerly Fareham Repro, in 2009, buying its assets and taking on three of its staff when it was on the brink of liquidation.
Farleys will retain its name and branding and its phone lines have been diverted across to Stanbury’s premises for customer retention purposes.
Robert Crosley said he had “had his eye” on Farleys for a while but that it was Ian Farley that approached him last November with the idea for the merger.
“It’s a shame to lose skills and that’s what happens when these small companies struggle,” said Crosley.
“The three companies we have now all started 40 years ago, jobbing printers don’t exist as they used to but the skills are all there, especially on the finishing side; it takes years to get that good.
“That’s what I find so rewarding: giving it a modern touch. Printing changes so rapidly and you have to keep up with that but there are still places for those wonderful skills that people learn over time.”
Crosley added that he admired Farley’s family-oriented ethos and its local client base. Stanbury also gains litho equipment, a service it hadn't been offering since its litho minder passed away a few years ago.
“It’s like we had the left glove and now we have the right glove and they match,” he said.
With the new staff gained from Farleys, Stanbury now has 14, 11 on a full-time basis. Combined sales are at £900,000, with Farleys bringing around £290,000 across.
The group is aiming for £1.1m turnover by the end of this year.
In its 270sqm premises, the group now runs the Karat and guillotine, along with a Xerox C700, Xerox C750 and Ricoh Pro C9100 on the digital side, an Epson wide-format machine and a raft of finishing equipment that includes a Duplo Digital System 5000 and gold-blocking facilities.
Crosley plans on adding another company to the group within the next two to three years, at which point he would like to relocate to bigger premises.
