Direct Marketing Industry Veteran Jim Andersen Is Named Interim CEO of SG360° (piworld.com)

The recovery in the UK printing and printed packaging industry suffered a setback in Q4 and is now expected to see a decline on the volume of orders and output in Q1. The Covid-19 outbreak hit at the end of Q1, Q2 bore the brunt of the impact and whilst Q3 exhibited a recovery, of sorts, Q4 experienced a halt on that recovery path. Unfortunately forecasts for Q1 suggests that the Covid-19 resurgence and resulting mix of lockdown measures and post-Brexit disruption will be a drag on recovery for many businesses. The latest Printing Outlook survey reveals that 29% of printers managed to increase their output levels in the final quarter of 2020. One-third (33%) were able to hold output steady, whilst 38% were adversely affected by a decline in output. The resulting balance (the difference between the ups and the downs) was -9, only just below the -8 reported in Q3 and just much in-line with the Q4 forecast (-7). Output has yet to return to the positive zone.

Monomoy Capital Partners, a middle-market private investment firm focused on operational value creation, announced that it has acquired Japs-Olson Company, a family-owned national leader in innovative direct mail marketing solutions. Founded in 1907, Japs-Olson is a full-service, custom print and direct mail provider for the financial services, nonprofit, insurance, healthcare, retail and other markets. Headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, the company manufactures and distributes over one billion personalized mailings annually. Japs-Olson’s commitment to exceptional service, unrivaled client satisfaction and superior production has earned the company widespread industry recognition and a loyal customer base nationwide. Monomoy recognized Japs-Olson as a valuable partner due to its leading position in the direct mail sector. As a marketing channel, direct mail generates the highest return on investment among omnichannel marketing strategies and represents a stable sector with a robust total addressable market.

Organic net sales increased 11.4%. The Business Services segment was up 14.3% on a GAAP basis while the Marketing Solutions segment was up 10.3% both on a GAAP organic basis from the second quarter of 2020. The Business Services segment experienced growth in several of our strategic focus areas including Packaging, Labels and Supply Chain Management. Net sales in Marketing Solutions also experienced growth, led by higher volumes in Digital Print and Fulfillment and Direct Marketing, partially offset by last year’s Census project, which was completed in mid-2020. Income from operations was $28.2 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to loss from operations of $19.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. The second quarter of 2021 included net restructuring, impairment and other charges of $9.7 million, a decrease of $18.7 million from the prior year period primarily due to lower consulting and employee termination costs.