It's a strategic turning point for the London-based Walstead Group. Rutland Partners, major shareholder since 2016, has announced its intention to sell its majority stake in the printing group. According to a press release issued on June 9, the British private equity firm has commissioned a consultancy to arrange the sale, which is expected to take place by the end of 2025, with completion after 2026.
Walstead is now one of Europe's leading commercial web offset printing groups. It employs 3,200 people at 14 sites in seven countries (UK, Spain, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia). Its production fleet comprises 58 offset presses and four gravure presses, with sales of around £582.0 million (?679.2 million) in 2023.
The Walstead management team, which also holds a significant stake, will remain in place during and after the transaction. Mark Scanlon, Chairman of the Group's Board of Directors, praised the transaction in the press release "excellent relationship over the past 10 years" with Rutland, underlining that this withdrawal comes as no surprise but "an opportunity for a new investor to support Walstead's growth" which is pursuing its strategy of consolidating the commercial printing sector in Europe.
