October’s biggest news dominated by insolvencies and M&A

Printweek's top 10 stories alone generated more than 39,000 clicks
Printweek's top 10 stories alone generated more than 39,000 clicks

The sad situation at Westdale dominated October's news, but our round-up of the most read stories from last month highlights that even in these troubled times there are still companies positioning themselves for growth.

1 Westdale Press calls in administrators 14,478 clicks
Westdale Press has gone into administration after being fatally wounded by the double-whammy of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

2 London printers merge 3,913 clicks
Two long-established central London printers have merged to capitalise on the continuing requirement for fast turnaround printing in the capital, despite the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

3 Digital print giants call time on Drupa 2021 3,544 clicks
Two more of Drupa’s biggest exhibitors have pulled out of the 2021 show due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

4 Print manager forced into CVA by C-19 3,471 clicks
A specialist print management business is now operating under a CVA after the Covid-19 pandemic caused a catastrophic drop-off in work.

5 Walstead plays waiting game on M&A, expects more rivals will fail 2,921 clicks
Walstead group chief executive Paul Utting believes it is “inevitable” that some competitors will fail when government coronavirus support packages come to an end, with the web and gravure markets down by between 20%-25% and magazine printing capacity needing to adjust accordingly.

6 Print pair target growth with new company 2,487 clicks
Two print bosses have joined forces to buy a personalised passes and ID and membership card manufacturer and leverage their combined expertise to grow the business.

7 Tributes paid to Dave Chandler 2,254 clicks
Former colleagues, clients and industry associates have paid tribute to Dave Chandler who has died aged 71.

8 Jamm puts London site on the market 2,225 clicks
Jamm Print & Production is selling its London premises as part of plans to relocate to a more suitable site.

9 Pureprint preps for peak with UK's first 100K 2,055 clicks
Pureprint Group has installed the UK’s first HP Indigo 100K as the business ramps up digital capacity ahead of peak season for the gifting market, which, as one of the few upsides of the pandemic, could potentially smash previous peak records.

10 Callprint administration is extended again 1,831 clicks
The administration process for Call Print Group Ltd and Call Print Services Ltd has been extended again as the administrators continue to investigate events leading up to the group’s failure in 2018.