Peter Wise, managing director, Minuteman Press
"I was thrilled when I heard that they had done that, it’s brilliant. I hear the vote was quite substantially in favour too. It is important for an organisation like the BPIF, which has value, to send a message that it is unacceptable to act in that manner. The BPIF is in the right position to have an impact in taking a stand. I don’t think it would have had the same impact if a minister had said it, it would have got lost in among all the other news. It would be great if other organisations like the FPB and the DMA followed suite, or even something like FSC could go that way."

Howard Matthews, vice-chair, DMA mailing house council
"I don’t believe they are right to automatically ban all pre-packs. Pre-packs are not unlawful and in many cases can work successfully – each one should be judged on an individual basis. Many pre-packs have proved to be successful and it helps to keep some continuity for the workforce and it gives some suppliers the opportunity of working with the new company, which gives them the chance of getting something back. However, there are some in the industry who actually make a living out of this practice, which results in the loss of jobs elsewhere and they are certainly the ones who should be banned from trade membership of any kind."

Martin Lett Jnr,director, Marstan Press
"I think the BPIF is right to try and discourage pre-packs. It’s widely recognised now that most of them do not save jobs in the long term and they end up causing pain to those companies competing with them. This is an issue that most people can agree on and I think it is the positive route to take. I do, however, question whether it will make that much of a difference. I’m not sure if disallowing a pre-pack membership will change things in the long run. We need the paper suppliers and consumables companies to tighten things up as they are the ones that can make a real change."

Andy Edwards, managing director, LightBrigade
"I think it is a good start, but I find it difficult to see how they are going to go about implementing it. I think that the BPIF will have to assess each company on a case-by-case basis as every situation is contextual. In principle, pre-packs are a good thing, but they get abused when the existing management are allowed to buy back the business following private negotiations with the insolvency practitioner and then, clear of the original debts, start a new company. The unsecured creditors are then kept in the dark and ultimately come away with nothing."