Two of the country’s leading print companies, ICG and Soar Print, have announced they will merge into a new business.
The companies say the new entity, yet to be named, will draw on ICG’s creative, publishing and large format expertise, combined with the print, logistics and packaging proficiencies of Soar Print. The merger will strengthen the new entity’s visual communication offering, and give greater opportunity within its creative services and thereby strengthen its marketing and direct marketing services.
David Atkins, managing director at ICG, says, “We have been looking at it for quite a long time. The more we talked, the more we appreciate how aligned we are and the overall synergies that we share.”
Fred Soar, managing director at Soar Print, says, “ICG and Soar Print share a similar philosophy about work and we know that both our teams get on pretty well. We’ve helped each other out with work over the years, and now we’ll be able to better help our clients with a greater offering and capacity.”
Both businesses are set to move out of their respective premises over the next few months and this became the catalyst for the merger. While servicing largely different clientele, ICG and Soar Print have had an open and strong working relationship for well over a decade, built on the family‐led values of each of the company’s founding fathers.
Atkins and Soar have since developed a plan for what a combined business offering will mean for the market, and how this will improve the service offering to both ICG and Soar existing clients.
Atkins says, “The team at ICG is passionate about delivering great work, while using curiosity and innovation to drive ongoing efficiencies. Across the Group, ICG offer a wide range of services from print and creative to content and marketing automation. This combined with deep expertise enables the second‐generation print company to deliver beyond normal range.
“For us it is about looking to the future of what a combined offering means for good and sustainable business, and how this translates to not only financial stability and continuity for our staff and clients, but also opportunity to grow.
“It’s exciting to get the critical mass that we’ll have, and therefore the market penetration that’ll go with it, while retaining the Kiwi ownership in our DNA that has been strong drivers of both the ICG and Soar brands.”
A third‐generation family business with more than 100 years of printing experience, Soar Print has a team with ink in its veins. Fred Soar says, “The team members get really excited seeing blank, raw material become beautiful pieces of artful communication that present its clients’ messaging in the best way possible.”
Soar Print also leads the country’s print specialists in its drive for sustainability. He adds, “We’ve done a lot of work when it comes to print and sustainability, and I’m excited by what a combined offering will further achieve in our sustainable best practices.”
The ICG team will move into the new premises in Vesty Drive, Auckland, in January, 2022, with the Soar team picking up any printing slack during the transition. The team at Soar will then complete the move by May with all operations established at the new site.
In the short term, the business will utilise the current Soar and ICG branding, with a look to a revised brand in line with the move. This will ensure a seamless transition for clients, staff and key suppliers.
Atkins adds, “It is early days, but we will finalise the details soon enough. It feels great to be putting two strong and stable businesses together.”
