Prinovis UK in Liverpool, the UK’s only other publication gravure printer, is owned by €1.7bn (£1.3bn) turnover German business Bertelsmann Printing Group, which also owns the huge web offset printer Mohn Media in Gutersloh.
Corporate communications spokesman Gernot Wolf told PrintWeek: “Prinovis is always interested in looking into opportunities to grow its UK business, we will therefore express an interest with the administrator so we are able to assess whether any of the Polestar businesses represent a sound investment opportunity.”
Prinovis UK managing director Richard Gray added: “We will definitely take a look at all or parts of it, it all depends on what we find.”
Walstead Group, which earlier this month made a dramatic expansion of its continental print operations with the acquisition of Leykam Let’s Print, has also issued a statement confirming its potential interest.
The group said it was interested in “certain assets” of Polestar UK Print (which includes the Sheffield, Bicester and Chantry sites) and Polestar Stones-Wheatons, both of which were placed into administration earlier this week.
Walstead has registered its interest with the administrators of the businesses at PricewaterhouseCoopers, but emphasised that any deal would need a green light from the Competition & Markets Authority.
The firm said it would also need to ensure that it had backing from key customers, trade suppliers and equipment financiers for any deal to be successful.
Walstead chairman Mark Scanlon warned that if the Polestar print sites could not be saved, as much as £100m worth of print for UK customers would transfer to continental printers, with the likelihood of “significant disruption”.
“We foresee significant disruption to the gravure and web offset printing market if the Polestar assets were to permanently cease operating and this capacity was lost for good from the UK. We believe that in this scenario up to £100 million of print would potentially have to be sourced from the continent, with all the attendant exchange rate risks, higher transport costs, and longer lead times,” Scanlon stated.
“Advertising deadlines and publisher revenues would inevitably be impacted by these increased lead times at a time when print is already losing market share to digital media. In addition there would be a significant negative impact on UK jobs. We are therefore exploring whether there are certain Polestar sites and jobs that can be saved, although in our view it is by no means certain that a viable solution can be achieved.”
YM Group is also understood to be interested in some of Polestar’s assets. Chief executive Stephen Goodman declined to comment.
