Quad/Graphics to Acquire Brown Printing for $100 Million

Quad/Graphics will acquire Brown Printing Company, which serves catalogers with printing, distribution and integrated media solutions, for $100 million, according to a joint press release. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory clearances and is expected to close in the second half of 2014.

“Brown is a well respected, financially strong company focused on delivering superior quality and impeccable customer service to a diverse range of clients,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics Chairman, President & CEO, in a statement. “We are excited by the opportunities ahead and look forward to welcoming Brown’s clients and employees into our family.”

Quadracci said print will still be the company’s foundation, and that the printer will “continue to find innovative ways to connect and integrate print with other media channels to increase reach, response and return on investment.”

“Looking forward, we are excited about this acquisition as it will benefit our clients through the expanded depth of the combined platform,” said Mike Amundson, President & CEO of Brown Printing Company.

For the full-year 2013, Quad/Graphics’s net sales were $4.8 billion, versus net sales of $4.1 billion for the previous year. During its fourth-quarter earnings call on Feb. 27, Quad/Graphics Chief Accounting Officer David Honan said the company anticipates 2014 net sales to be in a range of $4.6 billion to $4.8 billion.

Founded in 1957, Brown Printing Company is the fifth largest catalog printer in the U.S., according to its website. Brown employs more than 1,850 non-union employees in three web offset printing facilities that produce over 1,000 different magazines and catalogs.