Pureprint has acquired Simpson Group days after the company went into administration. The deal strengthens the group’s hand in large format print as it will be linked to Imprint, just 20 minutes’ drive away.
With the combined turnover of £19.0 million from Imprint and £13.4 million from Simpson, large format print will account for more than 40% of the group’s £72.9 million turnover.
While both businesses are producing display graphics for retailers, Simpsons has greater production capacity through large format inkjet, screen presses and a large format Roland 900XXL four-colour press. It has also focused on creating displays and retail theatre for high street businesses, building a mock high street in its Washington factory to inspire ideas.
Simpsons underwent a management buyout in 2018 and stretched its payment schedule following the hit sustained by Covid. In its last financial results the company reported a pretax loss of £1.4 million compared to a £480,000 profit in the 12 months to September 2023. The swing was attributed to a £1.5 million extraordinary item. A further £2.18 million was due for payment in the 12 months to September 2025. Nevertheless despite this and pointing to consolidation in the number of high street brands, the directors were optimistic about their ability to continue trading.
Simpsons will now come under the responsibility of Dave Bullivant, who has led Pureprint’s Imprint division. Imprint has been pushing into the out of home sector with recent investments including Durst P4 roll printing.
The new owner of Simpsons has not announced a future direction or changes other than to say that all jobs have been retained as part of this acquisition. In the last published results Simpson employed 165.
The acquisition follows an established pattern for Pureprint, of taking companies from administration and integrating and investing in them. Before Simpsons its most recent acquisition had been book printer Ashford Colour Press, with luxury box producer Screaming Colour before that. This time the integration could involve use of the large sheet printed by the Roland press for colour book printing.
Pureprint CEO Mark Handford says: “We are pleased to welcome Simpson Group into Pureprint Group. Simpson has a longstanding reputation within the point of sale and display market, and the business brings talented people, proven manufacturing expertise and strong customer relationships.
“This acquisition creates new opportunities for customers of both businesses while strengthening our ability to deliver high quality retail and marketing solutions.”
