The deal, which was completed around three weeks ago, follows the firm’s acquisition of German print specialist Card Media earlier this year. It has also opened its first US office, in Florida, during 2018.

Alpha Card managing director Ian Whitfield told PrintWeek: “We’ve known Media de Poche for some time and we’ve worked with them previously, but not for a little while. They approached us when they were looking to exit the business in their own right and it made sense for us strategically.

“The products that they supply into the French market are broadly the same as the z-fold cards that we supply into the UK, other European countries and the US. The business has been going for a number of years and has a good name so it’s a natural fit.”

He added: “Our acquisition of Card Media gave us more local presence in the German market. It’s certainly been beneficial to us to have both our own multilingual website and also a dedicated German website and brand in Germany and I would anticipate similar benefits in the French market with the acquisition of Media de Poche.”

Media de Poche’s name and brand will be retained, with Alpha Card’s branding incorporated alongside, and the business will now be headed up by the Alpha Card team that currently oversees the French market.

Former Media de Poche managing director Malek Hocini, who will support the business as a consultant going forwards, said: “We are delighted that Media de Poche has joined the Alpha Card brand and are looking forward to watching its development and supporting the firm’s domination of the European z-folding card sector in the months and years to come.”

While staff and turnover figures for the two businesses were not disclosed, Whitfield said Alpha Card’s acquisitions and expansion into the US during 2018 has accelerated its growth by over 30%.

The business, which was founded in 2013, has produced nearly 50 million products for almost every market sector since its inception, serving clients including SMEs, local and national governments, and multinational companies such as Shell and Toyota.