Pims acquisition creates more direct mail capacity

Corporate Mailing Matters (CMM) has completed the acquisition of the business and assets of direct mail company Pims National. Pims will now trade as CMM National (a division of Corporate Mailing Matters), in a move which brings CMM’s annual turnover close to GBP30m. CMM said that the acquisition of such a profitable, well managed business with an experienced and capable management team, is designed to extend CMM’s production and management capacity to support the company’s growth objectives.

The company added that no staff reductions are envisaged for Pims, with the commitment and input of the existing workforce being vital to provide the additional capacity CMM requires to fulfil its organic growth targets.

The management team in Peterborough, led by managing director Kevin Semple, will stay with the business.

CMM National is based in Peterborough and offers a variety of services, including colour digital printing and personalisation, polywrapping, machine enclosing, and B2 and B3 litho printing, as well as envelope printing and supply.

The division has a turnover of approximately GBP8m per annum.

Corporate Mailing Matters is a mailing communications specialist in London with divisions dealing with shareholder communications, transactional mailing, international postage consolidation services, and general commercial digital print and mailing.

The acquisition of Pims represents the next step in CMM’s strategy to consolidate and develop its position in the mail communications sector, it said.

CMM National is a logical fit with CMM’s existing businesses and provides opportunities for future growth, particularly in the growing sector of personalised direct marketing, where budgets have risen year-on-year since the millennium.

CMM completed its first full year of trading (July 2004 – June 2005) following the re-acquisition of the company by former shareholders led by CMM founder and chief executive Yolanda Noble.

After six months, turn-around to profitability was achieved.

For the year ended 30 June 2005 the company delivered GBP1.4 million, whilst increasing revenues from the previous year by GBP600,000.

CMM’s annual turnover for 2004/05 was GBP18.1 million, a figure which is continuing to grow both organically and through acquisition.

CMM’s believes that its strengths in transactional communications, consolidation and financial services are now joined by colour capabilities (particularly digital colour) and further variable insertion capacity, which are the main growth areas for direct mail in the UK today.

Yolanda Noble, commented: ‘Following the acquisition of CMM in February 2004, we have revitalised the company’s fortunes and are now going for major growth in the burgeoning and high-value parts of the UK and international mail communications industry.

Top quality people and capacity are required to maintain the momentum of our achievements, and that is exactly what the CMM National acquisition represents.’