Printer makes pounds 8.5m acquisition

JARVIS PORTER, the specialist labels printer, has paid James Wilkes pounds 8.5m for its promotional products and speciality print divisions. The acquisition takes Jarvis into Europe and complements its existing business gifts division, writes Topaz Amoore.

James Wilkes' promotional products division made profits of pounds 1.65m on pounds 11.75m turnover in the year to December 1991. Jarvis is also taking on its debt of pounds 2.9m.

Jarvis is financing the acquisition and raising a further pounds 3.97m through the conditional placing of 8.7 million new shares at 138p. Yesterday its shares fell 5p to 143p. Existing shareholders are being offered three new shares for every eight held.

James Wilkes will now concentrate on engineering. Gearing has come down to less than 90 per cent from 164 per cent, as promised after it fought off a hostile bid earlier in the year. The shares were unmoved at 124p.