London printco hits the buffers

Some of the services offered by ABC Imaging in the UK
Some of the services offered by ABC Imaging in the UK

A meeting of creditors has been called for a multi-service London-based printing business, which looks set to go into liquidation.

Mediashore Ltd trades as ABC Imaging, and is based on Britton St EC1.

The firm offers a wide range of services including from small format digital to large-format including retail graphics and pop-up shops, corporate graphics, signage, construction and hoardings, documents and marketing materials, and digital storefronts. It also has a Student Print Club.

ABC Imaging also offers same day and next day production for time-strapped customers.

Director Raymond Hawkins has called a virtual meeting of creditors, which will take place on 15 June.

The official filing stated: “The primary purpose of the virtual meeting is for creditors to consider a decision on the nomination of joint liquidators, and if the creditors think fit, to appoint a liquidation committee.”

Insolvency practitioners from Begbies Traynor are likely to be appointed.

Hawkins jointly owns the company alongside Sayed ‘Medi’ Falsafi who originally founded the American Blueprinting Company, now ABC Imaging, in the USA back in 1982.

The brand has multiple operations across the US and in China, Dubai and Puerto Rico.

The situation at Mediashore only affects its UK business, which was set up in 2000 and is one of its global hubs.

According to the Mediashore abbreviated accounts for the year to 30 September 2021, shareholders’ funds decreased from £278,188 to £74,126.

The firm employed 27 at the time.

The accounts stated that Covid-19 had caused significant disruption to the business, with trade much reduced.

It used government support via the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and a CBILS loan to ride out the crisis.

However, the directors remained positive that trade would return “to the levels seen before the outbreak of the pandemic” at the time the report was approved in June 2022.

The firm appeared on BBC's The Apprentice show in 2016 when the teams needed to have a quick turnaround poster printed.

Printweek has approached ABC Imaging UK for comment.