UK readers of the FT Weekend magazine will probably not give much thought to where it’s printed.
If they did, they might be surprised to hear that it’s printed in Belgium.
“But,” says Steven Renders, general manager of Roeselare-based Roularta Printing, “they shouldn’t be! After all, we are closer to Broxbourne, where FT Weekend magazine and Saturday editions of the Financial Times are collated, than many UK-based printers.”
Bart Declercq, sales director, explains how it works: “We have been printing the Europe-bound copies of a number of FT magazines, including How to Spend It (HTSI) for over two years and we have been able to demonstrate the quality of our work and the efficiency of our operation.”
So, when the Financial Times was looking for a new printer for UK copies of their magazines, Roularta Printing was in the mix.
“We created a production schedule for FT Weekend that delivered copies to the UK within 12 hours of us receiving the print files,” continued Bart: “The files are uploaded by FT’s London office by 2pm each Wednesday, copies are on the ferry by 9pm the same day and arrive in the UK by 2am Thursday morning.”
To facilitate the quick turnaround, the FT decided to glue the magazine in spine, which meant that glueing and trimming could be done inline in a single print run, with copies coming off the press and straight onto pallets.
Another factor which allows delivery of time sensitive work back into the UK was Roularta winning ‘approved loading place’ (ALP) status from the Belgian authorities, which means that customs declarations can be completed even before the lorry leaves the factory.
Also, increased investment in automation at the plant, for instance with a new automated palletiser at the end of their new paper-wrapping line and their increased use of automated guided vehicles (AGV) in the production hall has helped speed up work across the plant.
As well as winning the contract to print UK copies of FT Weekend magazine, Roularta will now also be printing the UK copies of other FT magazines, including HTSI, FT Wealth and The Art of Fashion.
As a result, Roularta is now shipping hundreds of thousands of copies to the UK every week.
“We have worked hard over the last couple of years to prove our suitability as a printer of copies for the UK market, not just copies for mainland European distribution. Winning the trust of publishers like the Financial Times has enabled us to prove the efficacy of our claims and we would like to talk to other UK publishers about their UK print requirements,” says Steven.
According to Janet White, global director (print) at the Financial Times, “Since the start in 2023, the cooperation with Roularta has gone very well, and they are an excellent partner. The high quality standards and professionalism of Roularta are exemplary. Our teams have worked closely together and we have established a reliable logistic solution that made it possible to award Roularta the printing of our UK magazines as well.”
“Delivering copies into the UK is now a standard procedure,” adds Bart Declercq.
Guardian Weekly win
Winning the FT’s UK print contract came hot on the heals of the Guardian awarding Roularta the contract for printing the European distribution of Guardian Weekly.
“The reason why publishers like the FT and Guardian come to us is threefold,” says Steven Renders: “in these uncertain times the financial stability we enjoy being part of Roularta Media Group – one of Europe’s largest newspaper and magazine publishers – provides a high degree of reassurance. Secondly, we focus relentlessly on quality, something which is particularly important for premium magazines like HTSI. For titles like that, it’s all about the big advertisements. Luxury brands are quick to complain if the reproduction of their ad is not perfect. I think in the past two and a half years, we have not had one single complaint! Thirdly, our ongoing investment in reducing the carbon footprint of everything we do. In March, we will be installing 3,000 new solar panels, right next to the factory and this will improve our green credentials even further. Our values align with those of our publishing clients.”
On awarding the Guardian Weekly contract to Roularta, David Kirwan, production director at Guardian News & Media, said: “Roularta shares our focus on quality, sustainability and innovation. This partnership ensures Guardian Weekly continues to meet the highest standards while reducing our environmental impact.”
Despite market uncertainty, Steven believes that these contract wins demonstrate the enduring appeal of print. With digitisation not delivering the hoped for revenues, quickly enough, for many publishers, print is still providing two thirds of revenues.
“Premium print is special,” says Steven: “A very good example is HTSI. If you look at the advertisers like Cartier and all the big luxury makes or brands, they want to be on paper because they can create an atmosphere that is not possible on a screen.”
“If you would like to discuss your print options, for your UK or European copies… or both, then do get in touch”, concludes Bart Declercq.
Roularta Printing
Bart Declercq, Sales Director
Tel: 0032 51 26 65 07
Mob: 0032 475 84 94 15
