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Another “emergency Services” publisher wound up by Insolvency Service

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Print Publishing Ltd has been wound up, following an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

A Manchester court heard that the Liverpool publisher had falsified links to the emergency services and charities, bringing in more than £63k in advertising revenues.

It comes just weeks after a Wirral company called The Hannay Partnership was wound up for similar claims.

Of Print Publishing, the court heard that the company, founded in 2017, cold-called local businesses, local authorities, schools, as well as sports and social clubs, offering advertising space in two magazines: Crime Reaction and Attention Fire.

They claimed to produce 3 editions of each title every year, with distribution numbers of around 25k.

In correspondence, sales people said that they “worked for the emergency services or associated charities, while proceeds went towards the emergency services.”

Following an investigation, the Insolvency Service found that these claims were “misleading and often false.”

Despite securing funds from sponsors as early as October 2017, the first magazine wasn’t printed until January 2019.

The court heard that there was “no evidence” that the magazines were ever distributed to anyone other than the advertisers themselves or that financial contributions had found their way to the emergency services and associated charities.

Print Publishing has denied that it traded with a “lack of commercial probity” when it claimed to be affiliated with the emergency services and other good causes

However, investigations found that the company used “oppressive and objectionable sales techniques to pressurise customers into making payments.”

It had 120 clients, generating 169 sales transactions, and bank receipts of £62,418.80.

“Not only did Print Publishing use dubious sales practices to elicit funds and did not have any links to charities or the emergency services, the magazines were produced late and were not distributed anywhere beyond the company’s own staff,” stated Scott Crighton, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service.

The Official Receiver will now look into the company’s affairs, including the conduct of its former director.

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