News
Felix Dennis' rebranded Butler, Tanner & Dennis geared for August launch
Butler and Tanner will reopen its doors on the 1 August with an initial staff of 80, under the new brand of Butler, Tanner & Dennis, following its acquisition by publishing entrepreneur Felix Dennis.
Dennis, the unlikely saviour of the book printer, which was closed on 26 April by former owner MPI, saved the company following a dramatic last minute bid as the auction liquidating the company closed last month.
He said: "It was the superb print quality of my own book, Island of Dreams, produced by Butler & Tanner in 2007, that brought the company to my attention, so we are extremely pleased to finalise and secure the future of this unique printing company.
"We strongly believe that book and corporate publishers in the UK will seize the chance to reduce the carbon footprint of their publications by working with Butler, Tanner & Dennis, rather than in Asia and other faraway places."
Kevin Sarney, who worked tirelessly to save the company, despite the rejection of an initial bid by administrator UHY Hacker Young, has been appointed managing director with Ian Leggett, group finance director of Dennis Publishing becoming deputy chairman and Dennis taking the helm as chairman.
Eighty staff will initially be employed at the company, although in an open letter to previous employees, customers and suppliers, Dennis said he hopes this figure will "rise substantially in the months to come".
The letter added that the company now has his full financial support and the company is now "adequately financed" with all machinery secured and further finance available where appropriate. The business will continue to trade from its Frome premises.
He added that he wished to "re-establish a company of which Joe Tanner would have been justly proud".
Ann Field, Unite national officer said: "Unite welcomes the news of the re-launch. It is a modest start to what can be a prosperous future with greater job opportunity. With the support of the new owner and the commitments being given we believe this is a very firm vote of confidence in the workforce.
"It is also a step towards re-establishing quality colour book printing in the UK. This is great news and we will be giving every support to the workforce in their efforts to re-establish Butler, Tanner & Dennis."
Tony Burke, assistant secretary general of Unite, added: "This is good news for our members who lost their jobs and good news for the community in Frome."
Dennis wants to make Butler, Tanner & Dennis a printer that its founder would be proud of
Advertisement
Comments
Clive Keeble - 17 July 2008
Very nice touch by Felix Dennis to "re-establish a company of which Joe Tanner would have been justly proud". A class act.
I'm sure the new company will be very successful and be held in high regard throughout the booktrade.
Gordon Ford - 17 July 2008
It is now up to the future work force to make it "a class act" good luck to all involved!
gary brake - 17 July 2008
good luck to all involved i wish everyone who gets re-employed all the best and hope you all sieze the oppurtunity that is given to you. It seems that Mr. Dennis is going to be the man to turn the ship round and hopefully now butler tanner and dennis can sail calmer waters than the choppy seas pirate lord dolan put us in again all the best to everyone
Mike Prior - 17 July 2008
Great news that JRT's name is retained in the new company name, and a good result for our neck of the woods (Wiltshire/Somerset border). A number of print and finishing companies in the west have failed over the last few months, and perhaps with this new awakening the rot has been stopped.
Best of luck to Kevin and Co.
MP, Trowbridge, Wiltshire
Paul Acres - 17 July 2008
Brilliant news for Frome, and the print industry as a whole in this country. Goodluck to all those going back, let's hope they can make things work and produce a successful company again.
reggie reynolds - 17 July 2008
good luck to everyone concerned i hope it all goes well. a BIG thanks goes to messrs sarney maunder etc for their hard work and also to -of course mr dennis well done. unlucky dolan you cuold break the company but you couldnt break the people ha ha . see you all soon
The Mighty wind - 17 July 2008
He added that he wished to "re-establish a company of which Joe Tanner would have been justly proud".
nice to hear and I hope it works out
James Lewis - 17 July 2008
A real feel good story with all the doom and gloom around at the moment. Good luck to B,T &D from all at Pro2col Group
Martin Davies - 17 July 2008
Well done to all for saving the company good luck to all who return and make it a successful company work hard and get it back to where it belongs
ginger dyer - 17 July 2008
great news well done to all involved,make b&t rise from the ashes ,DO IT FOR JOE. best of luck tothose returning keep up the good work.
Simon Biltcliffe- Webmart - 17 July 2008
Great news but glad tidings will not be enough to ensure a sustainable future- great management/financial strength are a smashing start tho.
The eco/time-to-market positioning of the printer puts it in a strong position to counter the low costs of the far-eastern opposition are powerful. The cost of sales to reach the potential clients that will pay a premium for this will be very high if they are not careful. Fill the presses with this premium product and they have a great & growing future. Don't and they will be forced down the " sell-cheaper" road to ruin again. It's vital therefore to plan & work the sales proposition out & coverage in the market properly. Like now.
Good to see it back tho- start of the corner being turned?
Simon Biltcliffe
MD
WEBMART
www.FreePrintSales.com
the no-cost way to get sales- even for books!
brett mann - 18 July 2008
With some luck and a lot of hard work they can show that Dolan how it should have been run!
Adrian Hale - 18 July 2008
Good luck to everyone who secures employment at the new company it is refreshing to see a company coming back from the dead and not being written off.
I was saddened to see the minority slating the Friary Press employees as they had to endure the same pressures as the Butler & Tanner employees.
( Redundancies,then being Aquired by MPI & then being told that they were moving to Frome )
From the outset Friary press employees were approached by B&T union officials & told what the coukd & could not do even prior to the move & for this reason I did not make the move to Frome
As for the comment regarding Kerry she was not an employee of Friary Press but made the move from Borcombe.
I worked with the Friary staff for 4 years & every one pf them gave 100% for the company so I feel it is very unfair for people who have only worked with them for a few months to comment on their effort & quality of products through such a difficult period.
for this reason I say good luck to Friary Press .
stan manley - 18 July 2008
Good luck Felix you are going to need it especially if you are using the same work force!!!
Mark Hutton - 18 July 2008
So "Stan Manley" - new member of this forum, joined today, one post, having a dig at the B&T workforce. I sense a pattern - you couldn't be, in some way, related to that bloke who didn't have the guts to face his own creditors earlier this week could you?
Mr Hale the Friary Press employees got caught in the middle of a mess that was not of their own choosing. I have every sympathy with them. I spoke to the press room Friary guys as the dispute escalated and tried to keep them in the loop as to why we felt we had to fight. They were not, however, under the same pressures as the B&T workers. They did not receive the threatening letters at their homes and were not asked to sign the dreadful "commercial style contract" that Dolan put forward. In fact Mr Dolan used them and some of the non-union employees as pawns to put pressure on the unionised workforce by promising to exempt them from his plans.
As for Unite officials telling them "what they could and could not do" to my knowledge Dolans plan was to run Friary as a separate company within the B&T's site so they would not initially have fallen within the chapel structure of the company - so how could this have been so? To my knowledge all the union oficials at B&T tried to do was to bring Friary employees up to the higher rates and conditions of the existing workforce.
Talking about minorities it's a pity that a minority of the new input of workers from MPI thought it would be funny to insult and abuse the B&T workers locked out on the picket line with no wages and missing pension contributions. It's strange that with all the water under the bridge and the endless discussion of this case this is the first time i've heard that anyone chose not to move from Friary because the union officials were too pushy!
brett mann - 18 July 2008
Stan manley, sounds like another GIMP acting as mouthpiece for what he would like to say!
stephen coyte - 18 July 2008
Good luck guys.... One in eye for Dolan
paul rodgers - 18 July 2008
Stanley, Mr Dennis said it was the quality of his own book that first attracted him to B&Ts this was produced by the workforce.
You seem to be the only one to put negative spin on this good news do you have a particular axe to grind if so what is it?
Henry Piecrust II - 21 July 2008
Jeez Simon (as in Biltcliffe), can you just stop highjacking these threads to promote your own company? As for your pompous profile (love the condescending motorcycle references...), made me feel sad for you. I'm sure someone somewhere thinks you're really worthwhile and important. Somewhere....
As for BT&D, good luck to all of you. I sincerely hope it goes well for you.
stan manley - 22 July 2008
No axe to grind just the voice of reality- Mr Dennis may have like the quality of his book but does he realise the ineffecient method and work practices involved in producing it- Mr Dolan is an honourable chap who was just trying to drag B&T into the modern age. As i said before good luck Mr Dennis
Mark Hutton - 22 July 2008
There's only one bloke who loves Mike Dolan as much as you do Mr Manley and that's Mike "i need Police protection or i won't attend my own creditors meeting" Dolan. Give it up "Stan" it won't wash. I understand it was announced at the said meeting that two of the, honourable, former B&T Printing LTD directors are under some kind of investigation?
Stuart North - 22 July 2008
Stan Manley,
Are you aware that the workforce were prepared to make a whole bundle of efficiency savings, suggested changes themselves and offered to accept a pay cut on top as well!
What the workforce were not prepared to accept was dictation, bullying, constant threatening letters and then ultimately the commercial style contract, which attempted to remove basic employment rights, and allow Dolan the power to sue.
Your opinion of Mike Dolan is not shared by any of us who were actually involved. I also know that the workforce and many of the other creditors, who are still owed millions of pounds, certainly do not see Mike Dolan as an "honourable chap". Most of my colleagues would tell you that they were insulted, lied to, robbed and then dismissed by Mike Dolan. It wasn't the workforce who acted dishonourably.
We are happy to offer the same savings to our new owner Felix Dennis, who can obviously see the value in the company. Felix has already shown his appreciation for the skilled workforce with a nice compliment regarding the quality books which they have produced.
Stuart North
Senior Rep
stan manley - 24 July 2008
Mr Hutton and Mr North must really Wake up and smell the coffee on this one- B&T lazy carrot crunching staff new found understanding of what it is like to work in the real world is a brilliant case of shutting the gate when the horse has bolted. In fact in B&T case the horse has bolted returned to the field and bolted again before after a long head scratching session people are thinking about
shutting the gate. Anyway Felix as I said before good luck mate and Mr North remember this "for the frog in the well thesky is only as big as the bucket"
Mark Hutton - 24 July 2008
That piece of rustic wisdom sounds very like a letter i once read from Mr Dolan about the "piper calling the tune" and it's just as bafflingly pointless and rambling. Have you had a drink Stanley?
If you want to engage in sensible discourse and reasoned argument i'll cross swords with you on this thread anytime. If, however, you want the world to think you've ingested some magic mushrooms and are having strange and bitter hallucinations i think i'd rather avoid eye contact and walk away.
Far out Stan!
Stuart North - 24 July 2008
Stan Manley,
Do you really know the company or the staff?
You seem to be having a cheap pop at the workforce again and then trying to be clever, by talking out of your backside.
Perhaps you would be good enough to let us know who you are and what your title or position is, so we can take you seriously!
Then again if I thought you were significant or that anything you have said was relevant I may have responded more appropriately.
Stuart North
Senior rep
Stuart North - 24 July 2008
Oh and Stan,
I'll take any view of the Sky as opposed to your friends future view of a prison cell.
john peel - 26 July 2008
Stuart and Henry, don`t forget school has broken up for Summer and this pratt Stan Manley is probably bored already playing on Daddies computer whilst smoking his very first cigarette with a can of daddies lager by his side, don`t be too harsh on the little brat . Remember, don`t feed the trolls and they will go away
stan manley - 29 July 2008
Mr Peel first entry 18th July school finished 23th July.. clap clap thanks for the input!!! sorry for having a differing view welcome to democracy
Mr North I may be talking out of my backside but at least I not sitting on it all day long!
Anyway I off to the real world now good luck with living in the past
Mark Hutton - 29 July 2008
I agree with you Stan democracy is a boon. You elect a government, they make rules, rules such as let's say - the correct way to treat the workforce when you wind up a company. Hang on, i can sense our views may drift apart somewhat at this juncture, that's the trouble with democracy you can't just pick and choose when you want it to kick in. Still it's nice to hear you're going back to the real world - after that LSD trip of a post you left earlier i thought you were marooned in Nania!
Mark Hutton - 29 July 2008
Ooops slip of the keypad - Narnia obviously. Keep Trolling o Manley one and beware of purple unicorns.
BT Meatman - 31 July 2008
Hey Stan 'not a man' manley what is your problem we dont crunch carrots we produced top quality books it was dopey Dolan that was living in the past not us so shut your mouth and get back to dream land !!!!
BT Meatman - 31 July 2008
Are you Dolan in disguise Mr Manley because you talk just as much if not more 'CRAP' frogs and buckets what the hell your a joke !!!!
To post comments please log in here