The marketing services and print management company APS signed an exclusive agreement with the Belgium-based Gemaco group which will see APS offering a range of Gemaco’s gifts and promotional merchandise, sales promotions, loyalty programmes and branded clothing to its UK clients.
The agreement has been signed with the newly created trading company Gemaco UK.
APS, which was established in 1961, is still family-owned with the founder’s grandson, Nick Snelson, the company’s managing director and 100% shareholder.
Sales for the year ending January 2013 were just over £60m. Around 75% of the sales are derived from print with the balance earned from a broader marketing services offer including POS and design through its Origin trading brand.
In total, over 600 people are employed across the company and at the head office in Cheadle, south Manchester. Customers include Superdrug, the Co-op, MBNA, the BBC, Hyundai, Philips, Adidas and the Scottish Government.
In February this year APS opened an office in Paris to build upon its other continental base in Eindhoven, Holland. The Dutch subsidiary is the result of the acquisition of Relate4U in December 2010.
The Paris office is led by Guillaume Feuillette, the company’s European development director, who also co-ordinates APS’ existing continental JV with Gemaco.
The Paris office is primarily sales-led in its remit but it will be working closely with the operation in Eindhoven as it seeks to establish a presence in Belgium working alongside a partner company Gemaco.
Gemaco which has been operating in the merchandising space for over 30 years works with companies including Coca Cola, Heineken and BMW and APS is hoping that this new partnership will enable APS to enhance offer to UK clients, providing additional design, production, fulfilment and account management support for their branded promotional items.
Andrew Howarth, managing director of Gemaco in the UK said: “APS group is the perfect UK marketing services partner for Gemaco and this exclusive agreement will help us to considerably enhance our presence in the UK market.
“By working so closely together in the UK and mainland Europe we hope to bring mutual benefit to both existing and new clients.”
