The AIM-listed marketing and advertising services provider has also established its own outsourcing and project management division, SPI Management.

SPI will share offices with London-based Symbian and Lineword in Leeds. Symbian Print Intelligence was formed in 1999, and its clients include Staples, Getty Images, and Glaxo SmithKline.

Simon Stevens, current managing director of Symbian, will become managing director of Media Square's print management operations.
Lineword was established earlier this year by former TripleArc catalogue and publishing division sales director Greig Scott, who will stay with the firm.

Media Square chief executive Jeremy Middleton said the deal was a logical extension to services that the company already offered.
"This provides an excellent platform from which to launch SPI Management," he said. Middleton added Media Square was attracted to the two companies primarily because of their staff and professionalism.

Middleton estimated the total print spend of his existing client base was around 500m per year, and said that with the firm having its own division, some 4m of print production that was previously outsourced could be retained.

In the long term Middleton said he would look to make more acquisitions to add to SPI Management, with the firm committed to growth both organically and through acquisitions.

Media Square reported a turnover of 19.5m for the year ending 31 October 2004, against pre-tax profits of 1.5m. Its main clients are in the high street and home shopping sectors.

These include Argos, B&Q, Littlewoods, Tesco, and Warner Brothers.

Story by Andy Scott