Printweek Daily Bulletin: Royal Mail's Covid boom; Mercia diversifies after merger; Route 1 opens API; and more...

[View in web browser]( [View text-only version]( [Add to safe senders list]( [PrintWeek]( Thursday 20 May 2021 [Daily news bulletin] [Sponsored by Fujifilm] [Today's top stories] [Royal Mail results reflect parcels boom]( [Royal Mail results reflect parcels boom]( The pandemic-related parcels boom has resulted in a big jump in sales and profits Royal Mail – with parcel revenues outstripping letters for the first time in the group’s five-century history. [Mercia diversifies packaging offer following merger]( [Mercia diversifies packaging offer following merger]( Mercia Image Print has greatly expanded its packaging offering to help support its post-pandemic recovery following its acquisition by The Print Design Factory. [Route 1 opens up API]( [Route 1 opens up API]( Bluetree Group’s trade printing wing Route 1 Print is opening up its systems with a new API to facilitate automated print buying. [Coveris acquires Four04 Packaging]( Coveris has continued its strategic expansion with the acquisition of flexible packaging manufacturer Four04 Packaging. [Alpha-Cure celebrates 25th birthday]( Specialist UV lamp manufacturer Alpha-Cure is celebrating its 25th anniversary, following a year in which it saw increased demand for its products during the coronavirus pandemic. [Yesterday's most read] [AR Packaging acquired in £1bn deal]( [UPM Shotton sale agreed]( [Firm fined over HSE incident]( [Blogs] [Printer's devil: it's in the detail]( Contributing editor Jo Francis muses on the latest goings on in the print industry. [In this issue] [Our April and May 21 ‘jabs, jobs and inkjet' issue is out now and as usual it’s stuffed with thought-provoking insights, business critical info and all the latest news and views from the UK print industry...]( [Forward to a friend](mailto:?subject=Print%20industry%20news%20...&body=I%20thought%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20newsletter%20from%20PrintWeek:%20%20 [Got some news? Email the PrintWeek newsdesk here](mailto:printweek.newsdesk@markallengroup.com) [PrintWeek jobs] [Direct Mail Manager]( [Printers & Finishers]( [Prepress Operator]( [Machine Operatives for Printing]( [Turret Rewinder]( [More jobs]( [Knowledge Bank] [No jab, no job?]( [No jab, no job?]( Just over a year ago, Covid-19 developed from a localised outbreak in a Chinese province to a global pandemic. [Reputation rescue]( [Reputation rescue]( Reputations, like trust, are hard to earn and easy to lose. Threats to a reputation come in many forms – rivals making underhand allegations, activity by state-run organs and malevolence in elements of the press. [Product portfolio] [Me & My: Duplo PFi Blade]( BCA Group in Enfield is a long-established family printing business that’s managed to adapt to changing times and fortunes for more than four decades. First set up in 1980 by Brian Cottee, it’s currently a two-person company owned and run by his son Mark who joined the business in 1984. [Star product: Hohner HSB 13.000 saddle-stitcher]( This high-speed saddle-stitcher was revamped in 2020 and now boasts some smart features for remote diagnostics alongside a huge variety of options, making it a very versatile performer. © MA Business Limited 2021. [Contact Us]( [Advertising]( [Subscribe]( If you wish to unsubscribe from Printweek Daily News emails, please click [here](. To understand how we process, use & safeguard your data, please read our [Privacy Policy](. If you would like to update your marketing contact preferences, then please [click here](.