Independent copy shop acquires Kwik Kopy centre and joins franchise

Phillip Joel, who has owned independent copy shop Printer’s Devil in Elizabeth Street for the past 12 years, acquired Kwik Kopy’s Central City franchise, based in nearby Pitt Street.

Kwik Kopy Central City had a trading name of Cityprint, which went into liquidation in March and was taken over by Kwik Kopy corporate.

Joel has since acquired the centre from the franchise group’s HQ and also brought Printer’s Devil into the Kwik Kopy network.

“Buying this branch gave us the opportunity to have a location close to our existing premises in Elizabeth Street and based on that, we agreed to convert our existing print business, which has been around for 34 years, into the Kwik Kopy family,” he told ProPrint.

Joel said joining the franchise group was the best opportunity to grow the business, adding that joining Kwik Kopy was the only way he could take over the Central City operation.

The acquisition increased turnover by about two and half times, he said, adding that headcount had risen from six to 20.

Joel said the combined businesses could now offer a wider range of services in-house, including wire binding, laminating, posters and mounting, and saddlestitching, which would reduce turnaround times and make prices more competitive.

Kwik Kopy managing director David Bell said: “As well as being a great opportunity to bring future sales growth to both businesses, it firmly re-establishes the Kwik Kopy brand as the biggest and strongest print name in the Sydney CBD.

“The conversion of Printer’s Devil into a Kwik Kopy franchise is a tremendous endorsement of the Kwik Kopy brand and of our franchise model in general.”

Joel revealed that the two centres are operating seven digital machines across the 88sqm Printer’s Devil site and the 450sqm Central City location.

The equipment list comprises two Konica Minolta Bizhub C8000 colour presses, a colour Konica Minolta C6501, two Konica Minolta Bizhub Pro 950 B&W devices, a Ricoh Pro C751 colour machine and a B&W Océ VarioPrint 135.

But Joel cautioned against printers over-extending themselves on equipment, and said this was the main cause for the closures that had struck Sydney’s CBD, including the former owners of Kwik Kopy Central City.

“When you invest half a million or a million in equipment, your machine has to run 16-18 hours a day, seven days a week. If that’s what you want to achieve, you are taking a big risk.”

Joel said the reason companies such as Central City had failed was “not because there isn’t any business, it is because people have overextended themselves”.

His statements echoed comments made by Snap Franchising chief executive Stephen Edwards, who said one of the reasons its largest franchisee, CBD Printing, filed for administration on 12 September was because the directors overcapitalised on machinery.

Printer’s Devil will be rebranded as Kwik Kopy Elizabeth St over coming months. It will be operated by Joel’s current business partner, Roy Chassay.

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