Traditional goodwill in short supply in December

TopShop was one of the many brands under the Arcadia umbrella
TopShop was one of the many brands under the Arcadia umbrella

The trials and tribulations of retailers at what should be their busiest time of year dominated December headlines, but so did the big ‘D’ which finally succumbed to the domino effect of exhibitor withdrawals and cancelled next year’s Drupa.

1 Historic printer folds, industry firms in pre-pack and CVA 5,618 clicks
A wave of company insolvencies has spelled the end for a historic Staffordshire print business with a history dating back almost 120 years.

2 Arcadia: print supplier exposure not clear 4,388 clicks
Arcadia’s collapse into administration appears likely to leave its remaining print suppliers out of pocket, although some had already stopped printing for the troubled group and there are hopes that printers will have limited exposure because of its well-documented problems.

3 New procurement firm aims to plug print buying gap 3,122 clicks
A new print procurement consortium has recruited a raft of industry experts and plans to roll out a new ‘no cost’ model to clients.

4 Royal Mail hikes stamp prices as USO losses balloon 2,433 clicks
Royal Mail has announced an inflation-busting increase of nearly 12% on the price of a 1st Class stamp, citing the need to “ensure the sustainability of the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service”.

5 Drupa 2021 cancelled: show to return in 2024 2,429 clicks
Drupa organiser Messe Düsseldorf has bowed to the inevitable and cancelled the physical expo planned for 2021 entirely, along with a raft of other events including Interpack.

6 Ricoh teases with first B2 sheetfed inkjet details 2,093 clicks
Ricoh has unveiled some of the pre-launch details about its new B2 sheetfed inkjet press.

7 Paragon CC teams with Royal Mail on Covid testing 1,959 clicks
Paragon Customer Communications has scooped a huge contract to partner with Royal Mail on the delivery of Covid-19 home testing kits.

8 EBB expands again with Warren Board buy 1,781 clicks
Elliott Baxter & Co (EBB) has become the biggest merchant supplier of board in the country after acquiring Warren Board from its owners, who are retiring.

9 Heidelberg UK begins warehouse move; parent sells Belgian chemicals ops to Druck Chemie 1,772 clicks
Heidelberg UK is set to begin the relocation of its warehouse operations to the Miniclipper Logistics facility in Bedfordshire while parent Heidelberg has sold its Belgian production site for printing chemicals to Druck Chemie.

10 Ikea cans annual catalogue and hones promos for digital age 1,735 clicks
Ikea has become the latest retailer to can its big book annual catalogue – but that doesn’t mean print will be absent from its future promotional plans.