Marketing.com Has Acquired Action Printing

Ennis, Inc. announced its acquisition of certain assets including customer lists and intellectual property of Gulf Business Forms, in San Marcos, TX. Gulf Business Forms is a trade printer specializing in custom-printed documents including business forms, laser cut sheets, brochures, pamphlets, in-line glue booklets, and variable short-run solutions. Keith Walters, Chairman, President & CEO of the Company stated, “Gulf has been a strong competitor and leading brand throughout the country with customers spanning from California in the southwest to Massachusetts in the northeast. We are excited about adding the Gulf brand and their customers to the Ennis family.” Gulf Business Forms has been serving distributors from its operations in Texas for more than 50 years since its founding in 1968.

Revenues decreased by $142.3 million, or 18.5%, from $767.4 million in the second quarter of 2019 to $625.1 million in the corresponding period of 2020. This decrease is largely due to the impact of the disposal of our paper packaging operations ($70.8 million), which were sold at the end of the first quarter of 2020, and a decrease in volume in the Printing Sector, mostly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. The sale of the specialty media assets and event planning activities also contributed to this decrease. The organic decline in the Packaging Sector of $7.0 million, or 1.7%, is mainly due to the decrease in raw material costs. Operating earnings increased by $1.0 million, or 2.3%, from $43.1 million in the second quarter of 2019 to $44.1 in the second quarter of 2020 following a decrease in restructuring and other costs. Adjusted operating earnings decreased by $15.1 million, or 18.1 %, from $83.6 million in the second quarter of 2019 to $68.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. This decrease is mostly attributable to lower revenues in the Printing Sector. In addition to cost reduction measures related to COVID-19, the operational efficiency initiatives introduced early in the fiscal year helped to mitigate this decline. The Printing Sector's adjusted operating earnings margin decreased from 16.6% in the second quarter of 2019 to 14.9% in the second quarter of 2020. Net earnings attributable to shareholders of the Corporation increased by $3.4 million, or 15.2%, from $22.3 million in the second quarter of 2019 to $25.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. This increase is mainly attributable to the stability of operating earnings combined with the decrease in net financial expenses resulting from a reduction in net indebtedness during the year.

The first thing one notices upon approaching Paolo Olbi’s bookstore from Ca’ Foscari bridge in Venice is the intricate patterns and vibrant colors. His carefully displayed selection of handmade books, notebooks, and stationery look like an old postcard. Olbi himself, an impeccably dressed and groomed 78-year-old native Venetian, is as much a caretaker as an artisan. “I started learning handmade bookmaking at 18,” he says. “And 60 years later I am still loving it.” The books for sale at Olbi’s store are traditionally hand-bound, using techniques that can only be learned through apprenticeships with masters of the form. When he started in this trade, there were around 20 traditional bookbinding shops in Venice. Today, he is one of just three.