News that Paperlinx is to supply Agfa products is significant on a number of levels. The collapse of Litho Supplies has provided the perfect opening for the merchanting giant to further expand its supply of beyond paper products in the UK. It already does this successfully elsewhere in the world. In Canada, for example, Paperlinx companies also sell printing plates, pressroom consumables, prepress kit including proofing and CTP systems, as well as wide-format inkjet and digital printing equipment.

Kodak agreed a regional supply deal for Scotland with Antalis a while back, though this turned out to be relatively short-lived. The Agfa/Paperlinx deal is the first national agreement of its type that I'm aware of. The official statement heralding this fresh partnership includes the proviso that "Robert Horne and The Paper Company branches will in the very near future be able to take and deliver orders for Agfa products...", which perhaps gives a hint that events have required the arrangement to be concluded in something of a hurry.

It poses some questions about Hilco, the new owner of the Litho Supplies consumables operation, too. This company is evidently extremely proficient in the retail turnaround space. In fact, its tagline is "retail restructuring services". I can't help but wonder what sort of legwork Hilco did with the key supplier universe of the "new" Litho Supplies prior to agreeing its buyout deal, in order to ensure that the business would have their support? Surely that would be a critical success factor?

I was reminded this morning that Gerry Mulvaney, the former joint managing director at Litho Supplies, used to say that suppliers meant everything to the business. Everyone's a genius with hindsight, of course, but I don't think I'm alone in believing that things would have turned out rather differently for Litho Supplies if it hadn't been for the spectacular falling out in 2004 that resulted in the departure of Mulvaney and Terry Cooper.