Mimeo Expands into Europe with Acquisition of CLE Group
NEW YORK/HUNTINGDON, UK—July 26, 2011—Mimeo, the leading online printing and distribution solutions company, announced the acquisition of CLE Group, a U.K.-based provider of print technology and marketing services. The move will accelerate Mimeo’s expansion into Europe.
“CLE Group shares our commitment to providing technology driven solutions that improve the way businesses communicate with their customers,” said Mimeo CEO, Adam Slutsky. “We welcome CLE Managing Director Jamie Wardley, Group Sales Director Patrick Rau, Product Management Director Nick White, Sales Director John Kirk and Operations Director Andy Purves, as well as the entire CLE Team to Mimeo. We look forward to bringing our combined strengths to our valued customers and the broader market.”
Jamie Wardley will lead Mimeo Europe as managing director, reporting to Mimeo CEO Adam Slutsky. In Q4, 2011, CLE will move into a new 50,000-square-foot facility (4,645 square metres) in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, that will serve as the headquarters for Mimeo Europe, as well Mimeo’s first production and distribution centre in Europe. The centre will support all lines of business by Q2, 2012.
More than 4,000 corporations across every major industry use Mimeo and CLE services to manage print and distribute materials to over 141 countries. The combined company has over 640 employees.
“We’ve always been impressed with Mimeo’s technology driven culture, cloud based customer facing applications and overnight distribution capabilities,” said Jamie Wardley, former CLE Group Managing Director and now Managing Director, Mimeo Europe. “By joining forces we are able to offer customers an integrated set of capabilities that neither one of us could have offered alone.”
The CLE acquisition is part of Mimeo’s plan to expand its production capacity and to support customers in the European market.
Acquisition FAQ:
What does the CLE Group do?
CLE Group is a leader in digital print technology, print product development and integrated marketing services. Their integrated marketing services solution enables companies to optimize marketing budgets by reducing their cost per lead. Technologies such as variable data printing and design services further improve marketing campaign performance. CLE is also highly skilled at developing proprietary printed products such as school planners and cards.
Why did Mimeo acquire the CLE Group?
Mimeo’s mission is to power the world’s print. The combination of the two companies broadens the types of capabilities offered in each market such as overnight production and delivery, e-commerce and variable data printing. This acquisition:
• Supports Mimeo international expansion plans by accelerating Mimeo’s ability to duplicate its’ business model in Europe
• Further diversifies the types of products and solutions offered by the company
• Enables Mimeo and CLE to cross-sell solutions to the combined customer base
• Provides Mimeo with a European production and distribution facility
• Strengthens the Mimeo team with experienced employees
How will customers benefit from the acquisition?
Customer’s utilize Mimeo services to deliver printed materials from anywhere to everywhere. CLE services are designed to improve the performance of printed materials. The combined company will be able to produce and deliver printed materials faster, at lower cost, with higher quality and with greater effectiveness than any competitor.
• CLE Group variable data capabilities will improve the performance of printed materials.
• The Mimeo overnight delivery capability will make it possible for customers on both continents to arrange for next morning delivery without the shipping costs, time delays and customs barriers associated with trans-Atlantic shipping.
Will CLE be integrated into Mimeo?
CLE will be integrated into Mimeo and has been renamed Mimeo Europe. Former CLE employees will continue to support customers with no interruption of services. The CLE team will support a new Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire print production and distribution facility.
Product Integration
Will current CLE offerings change with the acquisition?
Yes. We plan to expand CLE offerings to include Mimeo solutions such as overnight document delivery and e-commerce based document ordering and distribution (Mimeo Marketplace). CLE solutions will be offered to Mimeo customers as well.
Company Operations
Who will lead the Mimeo Europe business?
Jamie Wardley, CLE’s former Managing Director, will join Mimeo as Managing Director, Mimeo Europe. He will be reporting to Mimeo CEO Adam Slutsky. Jamie will also join the Mimeo Executive Team. Other business leaders include Group Sales Director Patrick Rau, Product Management Director Nick White, Sales Director John Kirk and Operations Director Andy Purves.
Will there be a reduction in force as a result of the CLE Group acquisition?
No. Plans are in place to expand the workforce as Mimeo Europe expands.
How many employees will Mimeo have after the acquisition?
Mimeo will have 640 employees.
Will Mimeo remain headquartered in New York and will other facilities be impacted?
Mimeo will remain headquartered in New York. The company is experiencing double digit growth in the U.S., with plans to expand production.
Will there be any changes in customer support?
Customer support will remain the same at both Mimeo and Mimeo Europe (formerly CLE). Mimeo Europe employees will continue to support customers and offer the same set of capabilities. Over the next several months, customers of both companies will be introduced to new solutions such as overnight document delivery, e-commerce publishing and variable data database driven printing.
About Mimeo.com
Mimeo.com is the innovator of online, on-demand cloud printing services. Over 4,000 companies rely on Mimeo’s award winning document management tools and print on demand solutions to lower document related costs while improving employee productivity. The privately held company was founded in 1998 and has been named to the Inc. list of fastest growing private companies in North America each of the last six years. Investors include Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DFJ Gotham, Goldman Sachs (GS) Harbourvest and Hewlett Packard (HP).
About the CLE Group
CLE Group is a leader in the use of digital print technology and integrated marketing services to improve business results. In addition to services such as variable data, design and print procurement, CLE prints several proprietary products such as school planners and cards that are sold throughout Europe. The privately held company was founded in 1974 and supports multiple business sectors.
Source: Mimeo.