News

TPF Group has lost the £2.5m-a-year transactional mail contract with Sky on which its direct marketing and transactional mail division, TPF Direct, was built.

Sky’s transactional work, which has been produced by TPF Direct since 2004, has been awarded to Scottish printers FST, based in Livingstone, and Summer­hall, based in Edinburgh.

BSkyB corporate media relations manager Bella Vuillermoz told PrintWeek: "Following a review, we have decided to award our transactional print work to new suppliers, FST and Summerhall. The handover process is underway and will be finalised in due course."

TPF stressed that its £20m-a-year print management contract with Sky, covering production of the broadcaster’s marketing communications, remained unaffected by the move.

Chief executive Steve Brundle said: "This is actually something we’ve been expecting for a while now. It’s really been on the cards ever since Sky introduced stricter procurement rules designed to prevent over-exposure to any one supplier.

"Although it’s always disappointing to lose work of any description, the decision is not in any way a reflection on the great work we’ve done for them on transactional over the past four years or so."

It is understood that, although TPF produces the majority of Sky’s print managed marketing communications work in-house, that contract will not be affected by the satellite company’s new procurement policy.

Our entire focus from now on will be on the Sky marcomms work, where it’s very much business as usual, said Brundle.

TPF denied rumours that it had entered consultation with any staff at TPF Direct following the loss of the Sky account.