Alison Butterworth and John Lowey take over, after Paper Design Group sold to Pillarbox Designs
Alison Butterworth and John Lowey have just completed a management buyout of Nigel Quiney Publications and Paper Rose from Paper Design Group.
And it has also been confirmed that Paper Design Group, with its remaining trio of brands – Glick, Polytint and Simon Elvin Ltd – has been acquired by Pillarbox Designs, with ceo Ian Jackson remaining as a director of these companies.
The announcements came late on Thursday, 6 April, with Alison saying: “We’re thrilled that this opportunity came up for us to acquire these two companies, which have very strong contemporary and traditional brands, along with a large loyal national and independent customer base.
“The deal has ensured a seamless transition of control for the businesses and represents an exciting opportunity for us to implement our new vision.”
With many years of product and sales experience behind her, Alison has been managing director at NQP for nine years, as well as taking on the management of sales and product development for both Nottingham-based Paper Rose and Nigel Quiney, in Saffron Walden, where John oversees finance and operations in the two publishers since Paper Design Group took on all the companies in late 2019 in an mbo from Simon and Janet Elvin, who have since continued their involvement with the Simon Elvin Ltd side of the business, headquartered in Wooburn Green.
Ian, who ran Polytint Cards with his father before becoming md when it was acquired by Simon Elvin some years ago then formed Paper Design Group to lead the 2019 mbo, said: “Alison has done a fantastic job at building and maintaining a highly respected and successful publishing business.
“John took over as md at Paper Rose soon after I acquired the business, having been the financial director there for over 12 years. During some very challenging trading conditions, he has restructured the company while protecting this very strong brand.”
He also explained “ongoing health conditions” have meant he has had to significantly reduce his workload, leading to the acquisition of Paper Design Group by Pillarbox Designs, a company that is wholly owned by Paul and Christine Taylor.
Though both Paul and Chris are also co-owners of the Cardzone retail group, Pillarbox Designs is a private investment for the couple and not at all connected to their retailing business interests. Accountant Alistair Allcock is the only named officer of Pillarbox Designs.
Ian added: “Their investment will ensure further growth and long-term stability at Glick, Polytint, and Simon Elvin Ltd. This has obviously been a challenging time for me personally, and I therefore won’t be making any further comment on these announcements, except to confirm that the sale of PDG to private investors was quickly completed back in May 2022. For personal reasons I did not want the announcement to be made at that time.”
Alison added: “These are exciting times for us and our experienced members of staff in Nottingham and Saffron Walden and we hope to continue to strengthen the businesses further over the coming months.
“We will continue to work closely with our customers and suppliers and will ensure they receive the same high standards of service they have come to expect.”
Top: Alison Butterworth (seated) on the busy NQP stand at Spring Fair
