The Commerce Commission has received a clearance application from Mainland Print Limited to acquire the heatset and coldset web offset printing assets of Inkwise Limited.
Inkwise is based in Rolleston and provides heatset printing services to magazine publishers and retail catalogue customers, and coldset printing services to newspaper publishers.
Mainland is a recently established joint venture company owned in equal shares by Blue Star Group (New Zealand) Limited and Allied Press Limited.
Blue Star provides a range of commercial printing services including heatset printing services to magazine publishers and retail catalogue customers. These services are provided through its division called Webstar, which has printing operations in Masterton and Auckland.
Allied Press is a South Island based publisher of daily and community newspapers which has interests in newspaper printing operations in Dunedin, Alexandra and Greymouth. Allied Press also provides coldset printing services to other newspaper publishers.
A public version of the clearance application will be available shortly on the Commission’s case register.
Background
We will give clearance to a proposed merger if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.
Further information explaining how the Commission assesses a merger application is available on our website.
