Pureprint has acquired photo and production studio Smudge, an operation that delivers images for both print and for e-commerce applications.
The Wakefield business will answer to Imprint, Pureprint’s large format display graphics arm that deals with the same retail focused customer base. The Gateshead arm of Pureprint has also worked previously with Smudge whose clients include Jaeger, jewellery chain Goldsmiths and interiors business Ponden Home.
No price has been declared for the deal. It gives Pureprint a first toehold in e-commerce and a first move away from print only output for the group. It continues an evolution into a marketing services business with e-commerce design adding to data management and marketing technologies as well as print.
CEO Mark Handford says: “As our clients’ needs have changed, we continue to align our investments to ensure we always deliver against their requirements. The acquisition of Smudge is another step in our evolving history that ensures we still stay relevant in today’s market.”
Pureprint has previously built websites and presentations for clients that do not end up in print or that are related to print, Handford says. “And we have a big team of developers who produce bespoke software not always for print,” he says.
The company explains that it has experienced significant growth in gifting and personalised e-commerce markets and that an image creation capability to populate websites and to accompany the growth in online retail is a natural move. “We will look to grow Smudge quite quickly. We already have two opportunities to open up in London and the south west for our retail client base.
“We have a diverse and broad range of clients and growing markets who will benefit from the services that Smudge brings to the group. By contributing to the creation of assets and managing the workflow through our marketing technology platforms, we can execute consistent campaigns across multiple channels,” says Handford.
Most of the e-commerce work that Pureprint handles is on behalf of other clients, personalised children’s books, for example. It also has its own direct to consumer online print business, YouLoveToPrint.co.uk. This offers standard print fare, leaflets, brochures and posters, for example.
“This has grown during the pandemic,” says Handford. “Everything that we can do online had grown. We are also having a lot of conversations about this with clients, who reckon they have brought plans forward five years. And our business model may have to change over the next few years, though I’m confident that ink on paper will remain the backbone of our business.”
