Print-Leeds becomes sole label supplier to Marston’s Beer Company

Print-Leeds, the specialist print house based in Leeds, UK, has become the sole supplier of wet-glue labels to Marston’s Beer Company. This is the result of a competitive tendering process.

Rod Fisher, MD of Print-Leeds

Print-Leeds has printed wet-glue labels for Marston’s for seven years in a contract that was split across two suppliers. The new sole supplier contract is for a three-year period and is worth approximately $2.5m USD per year. The labels will be used across Marston’s bottled beer brand portfolio including Wainwright, Hobgoblin, McEwan’s and Pedigree.

Rod Fisher, managing director at Print-Leeds said: ‘We have become a brand synonymous with the food and beverage industries. Marston’s is a long-standing client and we are really pleased to be appointed its sole wet-glue label supplier. This wouldn’t have been possible before we invested £5m ($6.3m USD) in new premises and a state of the art Heidelberg 7-color press.’

Colin Mackenzie, Marston’s corporate procurement, added: ‘We are really pleased for Print-Leeds and look forward to working with them on future projects over the next three years.’

Print-Leeds moved premises just over a year ago to a larger 30,000 sq ft factory which has now been fully refurbished on a four-acer site. At the same time the company invested in a new $3.1m USD Heidelberg XL106 7-color press with coater which is running alongside its existing Heidelberg 7-color UV litho press. This was part of a planned $6.3m USD investment to double the company’s production capacity, streamline production, provide greater flexibility and bring the contingency option in-house for the production of wet-glue labels, composite tube wraps, litho box laminates and UV litho work.

Print-Leeds said it is constantly investing in new machinery to open up new markets and better serve its clients. The company acquired a wet-glue label printer five years ago which trebled its turnover. MD Rod Fisher is currently looking at a digital press which will launch the company into the self-adhesive market.

Rod explains: ‘We are constantly being asked by clients and prospective clients about self-adhesive labels. The beauty of moving into this market means we could print labels for any industry. The press we are looking at is one of the most technically advanced on the market.’

This would be a further evolution for Print-Leeds which started life as a repro house, moving into printing in 2001 and into labels in 2013.