Manchester’s Grafenia blazes acquisition trail with Liverpool signmaker deal

Grafenia, the parent company of several print and design brands, has announced its acquisition of Liverpool-based signmaker Arthur Diamond Design Limited (ADD Signs).

The Manchester-headquartered company said the transaction will bolster its expertise in the design, manufacture and installation of building signs and vehicle graphics.

Following the deal, ADD Signs vendor Mark Eccleston will become regional director of the main operating company in the Grafenia group, where he will continue to lead the ADD team and develop the brand.

For the 12 months to December 31 2016, ADD Signs generated a turnover of around £375k.

Grafenia CEO Peter Gunning said: “After working on projects with Mark and his team for several years, we are delighted to welcome them to the Grafenia family.

“We have ambitious plans for making signs a bigger part of our offering and are excited that Mark shares our vision.”

Peter said Grafenia will now use ADD’s expertise to extend its foothold in the sign sector, in particular by selling more signs through the group’s printing.com and Nettl businesses.

Further, ADD will no longer outsource print to external suppliers, instead giving clients access to a wider range of print and promotional items from the Nettl range.

Grafenia has revealed that the ADD Signs acquisition is the first in a planned strategy for growth, with the firm’s board is now actively seeking Merseyside signage companies in which the owner wants to exit or retire.

The aim would be to merge the acquired businesses with ADD Signs and, at a later date, combine manufacturing facilities and establish a Nettl Business Store.

Commenting on the transaction, ADD’s Mark Eccleston said: “We’ve grown our business steadily over the past few years and were looking for ways to take it to the next level.

“Making cool signs for Nettl, I was intrigued by their business model.”

He added: “When the guys shared their plans with me, it just felt like it made sense and I wanted to play a part in making it happen.”

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