Pepper Communications was wound up. Managing director Jude Whitford said a perfect storm of rising costs, industry uncertainty, the repayment of Covid loans and bad debt had created a situation “beyond repair” that meant “the only responsible course of action is to liquidate”... Work got underway at Walstead Bicester prior to the install of a huge, 60,000iph 64pp short-grain Sunday 5000, one of the key assets acquired from YM Group’s web division... Acquisitive Irish packaging group and Swanline owner Zeus Packaging acquired Polpack, in Poland... Royal Mail workers announced a 24-hour strike for later in February, accusing Royal Mail management of taking actions that “must be viewed as a real step towards the derecognition of the union”. However, the strike was called off five days later after a legal challenge from Royal Mail... Having made five acquisitions over the course of 2022, Fedrigoni started 2023 with two more purchases involving Arjowiggins assets overseas, including its Chinese translucent paper mill... DC Thomson announced it was closing all the Aceville Publications print titles it acquired just four-and-a-half years ago, as part of drastic cutbacks that will slash 20% of its workforce... Dutch papermaker Crown Van Gelder was acquired after it ceased production and filed for bankruptcy after running out of cash. The identity of the purchaser was a mystery, but in a statement CVG said operations would restart in less than two weeks and all 250 jobs had been retained... Helloprint made headlines after it found itself at the centre of contrasting views over ‘wokeism’, women’s rights and trans rights, having declined to continue printing stickers and merchandise for long-standing customer Kellie-Jay Keen, a women’s rights campaigner... Paper and packaging supplier Premier expanded its Glasgow operations, moving employees to a new 1,850sqm site in Coatridge... Pan-European book printing group CPI appointed a new CEO. Chris Malley took over from chief operating officer Fabrice Holler... Communication Workers Union members at Royal Mail Group voted by 95.9% on a 77.3% turnout to take further strike action. The union said 115,000 postal workers “have urged Royal Mail bosses to ‘take stock’ and change course in negotiations” following the result of the ballot... Royal Mail bosses were grilled by MPs over the future of the Universal Service Obligations. Committee chair Darren Jones said that answers had “completely failed to stack up” against worker testimonies.