The news follows a bizarre series of events, with the future for the Elvington site unclear since last summer when an issue arose with the gas and electricity supplies for the Hanger Two unit formerly occupied by York Mailing.

Walstead had previously given up its occupation of sister unit Hanger One in August 2023.

Linda Boyes subsequently took over Hanger One for her new web offset venture York Media, and Hanger One housed the master meters for power and gas.

Production was halted at Walstead York at the end of June 2024 because of the strictures involved in reinstating a separate supply.

Yesterday (16 April) Walstead UK CEO Debbie Read confirmed that the group intended to close the operation, subject to consultation with its 19 employees.

Walstead Group said it had spent the last nine months working to reinstate the necessary energy supplies.

The company stated: “However, due to severe delays with the installation of the high voltage electricity supply, a decision has been made to close the operation subject to the consultation.”

Despite the closure, Walstead also stated that it remained committed to the site “and as such has recently renewed the lease whilst work continues to install the high voltage supply”.

Walstead York ran a 48pp short-grain Lithoman web, the only press of that format in Walstead’s UK machine park. It remains in situ.

Printweek understands that some of the Walstead York workers have been deployed at its other sites temporarily during the hiatus, and some may now take up permanent roles at Peterborough and Bicester.

Read commented: “The past nine months have been challenging for the UK business and the York workforce, and we are grateful for their flexibility shown during this time.

“However, with the severe delays we have experienced in obtaining the power supply and the financial losses incurred it is with regret that we need to consult with staff over the closure of the site.”

She added: “We remain committed to ensuring that the correct infrastructure is in place at the site which hopefully, will allow manufacturing to recommence providing that the market can support this capacity, and the appropriate skills are available.”

Walstead is the only remaining multi-site web offset printer in the UK.

It prints for major publishers and newspaper groups, including News UK, Immediate Media, Future, The Economist and Condé Nast.

In its most recent results, for 2023, Walstead Group had gross sales of just under €582m (£486.6m), down 10.3% on the prior year on the back of reduced paper costs. Net sales, excluding paper, were down 3.5% at €378.1m.

Adjusted EBITDA fell 17% at €34.8m and the group made an operating loss of €800,000, compared to a €13.9m operating profit the prior year.

The group is the biggest commercial web offset printer in Europe and has 11 manufacturing sites across seven countries, with continental operations in Spain, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland.

It recently announced downsizing at plants in Spain and Austria.