2015 review: October

All the business news, from acquisitions to liquidations, investments to divestments, from a year in the industry.

Buxton Press was crowned 2015 Company of the Year at the PrintWeek Awards...

Printing.com founder and Grafenia chief executive Tony Rafferty stepped down from the business “by mutual consent” as the company warned on profits...

Informa unveiled its future plans for Ipex: the show will move to a three-year cycle, be a UK-focused event and next take place in autumn 2017...

RR Donnelley revealed that it planned to close its Flaxby Moor print site, with the anticipated loss of around 200 jobs...

Vistaprint Cimpress was testing out a design and print business card service on Amazon.com in the US, but had not revealed whether or not it planned to roll out the scheme in other markets, such as the UK...

Reflex Group completed the acquisition of Progressive-ID after acquiring Century Art in August and hinted that further purchases might be on the cards...

Visual Print & Design in Lincoln bought the Derby-based digital print shop Go Digital after its owner decided to retire...

HP revealed its plans for its Drupa 2016 presence: taking over an entire hall and eclipsing Heidelberg as the largest-single exhibitor...

Heidelberg was developing a B1 sheetfed inkjet press targeted at folding carton printers that would go head-to-head with Landa’s nano presses...

Communisis awarded a 10-year contract to Pitney Bowes for transactional hardware and software supply...

Konica Minolta announced that an unnamed European commercial printer would take delivery of the beta KM-1 B2-plus UV inkjet four-colour sheetfed press in January 2016. The press will get its full commercial launch at Drupa 2016...

Emap disclosed that it was to ditch print editions for its 17 titles as the 70-year-old brand is retired by parent Top Right Group...

The assets of LumeJet were bought by a small group of investors, including former chief executive Paul Anson...

Displayways acquired display consultancy and project management company Mint Source Visual Communications...

Wincanton Print was set to become the first UK company to take delivery of a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 LE-UV press, due for delivery in January...

Two main board directors – COO Peter Andreou and CFO Peter Johnston – left Polestar as the group began its move to a de-centralised structure...

Polestar was also planning to close its Polestar Stones sheetfed site, after nearly two centuries in business...

DS Smith acquired the Greek corrugated packaging business of Cukurova Group as part of an international shopping spree...

Former HH Global chief sales and marketing director Tony Massey joined US-headquartered print management and marketing services company InnerWorkings...

Wide-format show Sign & Digital UK was forecasting a third consecutive year of growth next year, with organisers expecting to see a 10% jump in exhibitor and visitor numbers...

Out-of-home giant JCDecaux was planning to install 1,000 digital screens when it takes over London’s £300m bus shelter contract on 1 January...

Dutch W2P firm Drukzo set up a UK trade-only service, Pro.helloprint.co.uk, that it hopes will turn over up to £3.7m in 2016...

Lloyds Banking Group was reviewing its marketing print needs, which comprises around 100 million printed items a year...

Expert Print took on a range of assets and 10 staff from GTEC, which had gone into liquidation in September...

Saxoprint confirmed that its UK print partner would be Pureprint Group, after revealing its plans for UK expansion in August...

Watermill Press invested £160,000 in a Lundberg Tech waste handling system, which it said would boost its productivity by 10%...

Prinovis UK welcomed the first entrants to its new apprenticeship programme...

Telford Reprographics bought Telford Foil Print from its retiring owner, Ray Tranter, with hopes of pushing turnover past £1m...

Geoff Neal Litho rebranded as Geoff Neal Group to better reflect its growing range of services...

Park Communications signed for a £1.9m B1 KBA Rapida 106 B1 press, due to be installed in December...

Paperlinx shareholders voted to rename the company Spicers after the change was mooted in August...

Xerox began a review of all of its businesses in the light of disappointing financial results that could result in the sale of some of its operations...

Duplo declared a successful seventh year of London Calling after customers signed for £750,000 in sales over two days...

Imprima Financial Print rebranded as Black&Callow...

Brydian Cards installed a KBA Genius 52UV with the expectation of doubling its gift card output to 100 million a year...