Page 14 - Paragon Annual Report 2

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Strategic report | Paragon acquisition capability
Record number and scale of acquisitions in 2017
During the financial year, we completed eight notable acquisitions of varying size and strategic significance.
DST OUTPUT LTD
The largest acquisition in our history, renamed as Paragon Customer Communications immediately on acquisition. DST Output was a leading UK based print and digital communications company that focuses on regulatory, transactional and direct marketing communication for blue-chip clients in the financial services, telecoms, utilities and retail sectors. The acquisition added sophisticated data insight and analysis to our portfolio, as well as strengthening outbound direct mail and digital marketing offerings.
ASK
Acquired via a process which resulted in Paragon controlling 77.5% of the listing of ASK SA on the Euronext exchange, the acquisition represented a move into personal identification products and services, such as electronic passports and ID cards,
as well as adding depth to our offer for transport and smart cities. Significant sales and operational synergies exist between ASK and Paragon ID.
D’HAUSSY
Acquired against strong competition from other bidders, D’Haussy is a leader in high volume printing, personalisation, finishing & fulfilment for direct marketing campaigns, serving primarily French and German customers. D’Haussy allows Paragon to consolidate its market share across Europe, increase capacity and add new technologies & capabilities.
RAULT-EPPE
The acquisition of document management companies Imprimerie Rault and EPPE Services (“Rault-Eppe”) strengthened our position in document services in the French market. The companies operate from three locations in France for document production, label production and logistics.
NETPRINT
A complementary acquisition in Norway to consolidate our leading position in the Norwegian reprographics market, we also strengthened our management team with the appointment of Netprint MD Atle Olsen as Managing Director for all Norwegian operations.
NYA LJUS
A small but highly synergistic acquisition to strengthen our position in the Swedish market, bringing large format customers from the retail sector and experienced and energetic management.
BURALL INFOSMART
Burall Infosmart is a successful, family owned firm with an excellent customer base. The attractiveness of this acquisition was enhanced by the ITSO accreditation which now allows the group to tender for a wider range of contracts.
NORTHERN MAIL
Northern Mail is a postal operator providing full postal services including print production, mailing and delivering millions of finished postal items annually, along with the collection and sortation of mail. Since joining Paragon, Northern Mail has continued to provide this mail collection service, enabling clients to make substantial postage savings.
“ Our vision – Buy, Build & Grow – allows us to compete effectively as we offer a future to the companies we acquire, their staff and management. ”
John Rogers VP Corporate Development
Paragon Group Limited – 05258175
In addition, as part of our business process outsourcing activities, we acquired a portion of a major systems integrator and BPO service provider that is specifically focused on handling large volumes of inbound and outbound communications across multiple market sectors. This strategic partnership has added significant value to our operations with acquisition of assets, transfer of staff, and contracts to supply major customers in the public and private sector. Post balance sheet, Paragon completed the acquisition of Docsellent GmbH, one of the leading providers of physical and electronic document output in Germany. The excellent customer base and technological performance of Docsellent aligns effectively with Paragon and builds on our existing strong direct marketing offer in Germany.
ACQUISITIONS
€1M-€20M €20M-€100M €100M+