SPH managing director Neil Armstrong told ProPrint that the company would move to the former home of liquidated company Harvest Design & Print on Monday morning (6 September).
Armstrong said SPH had already begun moving its equipment out of the Strathfield site, but that its Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 10P perfector would not be making the move. He added that “a few staff linked to the A1” had been made redundant.
The company’s North Sydney shop, which it opened in May following the acquisition of Rapid Digital, will also be closed as part of the move.
Armstrong said the move followed a dispute with accounting firm PKF over the South Strathfield premises.
In an email Armstrong passed onto ProPrint last week and dated 24 August, he told suppliers, staff and customers:
– PKF are the receivers for Planned Print Pty Ltd, the previous owners and operators of the factory we now occupy in Strathfield.
– PKF sold SPH the two Planned Print presses on site.
– A third company (a West Australian Property business) signed with PKF to purchase the factory.
– The property sale was apparently not completed to their satisfaction so PKF acted over the weekend to reclaim the building and negate SPH’s current lease.
– SPH management were not aware of these actions and are working with PKF and the St George bank to continued tenancy.
Armstrong confirmed today that SPH had not arranged to keep the site and was moving to Lane Cove with a more narrow focus on the digital and mailing side of the business.
“Although this is not something that we sought, it has made us look at the business very closely,” he said.
“There’s no doubt that the mailing, digital and short-run offset aspects of the business have been very profitable, so we’ll be focusing our attention on those three markets.”
PKF said it would not comment to the media.
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