On the face of it a printer and a marquee maker getting into bed with each other does make sense and the more you think about it the more attractive the relationship becomes. Such is the news this month from Rotherham where Gala Tent and print outfit Sign Man are getting to together with Gala taking a 50 percent stake in the print firm.

The deal will see Sign Man relocating to Gala Tent’s extensive purpose-built premises on Farfield Park, Manvers, near Rotherham.

A  quick glance at Gala's website and it quickly becomes obvious the relationship has huge potential with custom-printed gazebos and marquees perfect for promotional products, market traders, motor racing, new businesses and for exhibitions and events.  By bringing the custom printed service in-house, Gala Tent says it expects to be able to double its capacity and turnover from printed gazebos and marquees, within the next 12 months.

Jason Mace, managing director of Gala Tent, says: “Sign Man is a perfect fit with our business.  Tom Maden has extensive expertise in high quality digital printing and we are very excited about what this will mean for our business.  It will give us much greater control of our printing of branded goods, providing a much quicker and more efficient service to customers.  We expect to be able to offer a much shorter lead time for the delivery of branded goods and it will also mean we can expand our custom printed business and increase our market share.”
 
Madden, who has over 35 years’ experience in the digital printing business, said: “It is fantastic to have the backing of Gala Tent, as they have a strong reputation in the industry and a customer base that requires branded goods. We are excited to be relocating to the Dearne Valley and together with the backing of Gala Tent, we will be investing in the business to further increase our range of branded services to customers.”
 
And there is more good news. Mace says as a result of the acquisition, they expect to create a new jobs next year.
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