Private equity secures the future for Ligare book printing

Riding the tidal wave of private equity coming into the printing industry, Ligare plans to become an even bigger force in book printing. According to Richard Celarc, managing director of Ligare the investment is a strategic move to bolster the company's position in the sector.

"As we all know, the industry is changing rapidly as evidenced with the recent announcement of McPherson Printing/Griffin Press mega-merger," he said. "Over the last five years we have been approached by rival printing companies as well as private investors; but because I've always wanted to maintain our reputation for quality and service, together with the Ligare culture, I've been very successful in choosing new business partners."

The partnership with Knox Partners will see the group acquire a majority shareholding, but Celarc said that his role within Ligare would not change and he would still retain a significant interest and influence in any future developments. "I want to play a major role in the plans we have for the future," he said. "I will have the same role in the day-to-day running of the company as I have had for the past 27 years."

The first change to be implemented in Ligare will be the recruitment of extra staff to build up the senior management team. From there, the company will re-establish an office in Melbourne, start a coordinated marketing campaign and drive growth in the digital area.

Established in 1979, Ligare Book Printer is currently Australia's third largest and NSW's largest book printing company.

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