The firm has taken on six former employees of the Wokingham-based Volume Group, five of whom are data specialists who have transferred under a TUPE arrangement.

Volume is understood to be focusing on its core digital marketing business.

The six-strong team will work out of new offices in Reading, offering a service spanning data analysis, bureau services, and data management and processing.

“This is quite a big move for us. We’ve been looking at it for some time and I think the time is now right,” said Wyndeham chief executive Paul Utting. “We wanted to get digital and data skills in-house.”

He said the investment in the new Wyndeham Digital operation would also include digital print kit, to be housed at Wyndeham Roche in Cornwall.

“We do a lot of catalogue work in Roche and we’re seeing increasing demand for personalised or versioned covers. We did a job last year that had 3,000 cover changes,” Utting added.

“We believe there is latent demand among our customers for digital printing, that will allow us to produce short-run and fully-personalised communications alongside the long runs currently handled by Wyndeham.”

The group scoped out possible digital print engines at Ipex last month, and is currently making an analysis of the various options prior to making a decision in the next couple of months.

Roche managing director Jon Roberts will head up the new operation.

Wyndeham was dealt a blow last week when IPC Media confirmed plans to make rival Polestar its single-source print supplier. However, Utting said the subsequent reaction from a variety of clients had been positive from Wyndeham's point-of-view. 

"Other customers have been in touch to say 'can we look at doing some more work with you'. I'm optimistic we will win work in the face of this."