Newcastle printer Mr Print & Design has reopened under new ownership just days after going into liquidation.
According to an ASIC notice, the former owner decided to wind up the company on Saturday 2 December. James Shaw from Newcastle insolvency firm Shaw Gidley was appointed as liquidator.
A couple of days earlier, the business name and assets were sold by the former owner Matthew Ryan to new owner Adam De Gelder, who will run the business in partnership with his wife.
De Gelder says he began negotiating with Ryan several months ago.
“I think Matt got to the point where he’d had enough,” says De Gelder. “He took over the business about four years ago and over the past two years he hasn’t made a cent in a very competitive market. He had outstanding debts owed to the taxman and it all became too hard for him. He’s now left the printing industry.
“We purchased the business last Thursday from Matt but I didn’t buy his company, just the assets. We’ve bought all the machinery, including a couple of Heidelberg GTOs, as well as the stock on hand and the intellectual property, including the rights to the name.
“I wanted to make sure the door didn’t close because that could have meant losing key assets and clients. This week has all been about getting everything transferred over to us. We’ll remain in the same location with the same name and we have plans to expand the business.”
It's not known if two former staff members - one a 20-year veteran - will remain with the business.
Mr Print & Design - formerly Pete’s Print Shop – has been in business for more than 25 years and is based at Medcalf Street, Warners Bay, 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle’s CBD on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie.
According to its website, the company specializes in the design and printing of brochures, magazines, flyers, posters, business cards, stickers and letterheads, servicing not only Newcastle and the Hunter Valley but all of NSW, using the latest superior technology and state of the art equipment.