Turpin enters administration in move to 'stabilise' United Independent Distributors

Turpin Distribution has been placed into administration as part of a “major reorganisation” of United Independent Distributors (UID) which includes Marston, Eurospan and disruption-hit firm Orca.

The changes, which will result in an unconfirmed number of job losses, come a year after US-based Independent Publishers Group acquired the UK’s UID group of companies.

It will see UID companies Marston, Eurospan and Orca – a distributor beset by problems for nearly a year after a warehouse move from Dorset to Biggleswade in Bedfordshire — exist as separate entities but managed by the same executive team. UID said this aimed to “integrate and stabilise” the companies.

It will also see Turpin, whose clients include Emerald and Liverpool University Press, enter administration. The company has existed for more than 40 years and, according to its website, employs 100 members of staff. 

In a statement, the owners partly blamed scholarly publishing’s move towards Open Access, a decline in journal subscriptions, and a move toward lower-priced digital journals for the decision.

UID said: “The Turpin board has worked hard with its professional advisors to find a solvent solution to preserve the company or a going concern sale of the company’s business, but regrettably this has proven impossible, and we have therefore resolved that the only option now available for Turpin is to place it into administration.”

The Eurospan distribution unit will now be operated through Marston Book Services’ systems in UID’s Biggleswade distribution centre. From 1st October, all orders for publishers distributed by Eurospan will be handled by the customer service team at Marston. UID said the response to this from trade customers had been "overwhelmingly positive" because of efficiencies in centralised ordering, returns processing, and "Marston’s reputation for high-quality, timely service".

Joe Matthews, who will remain the global c.e.o. of the company, told The Bookseller the reorganisation has resulted in a "significant labour reduction" but said he did not have an exact figure for the number of job losses.

He said: "We developed a strategic plan that we have been executing all year and have now reached the stage where we can exit Turpin and service Eurospan through Marston, which allows us to operate using a single set of systems. With that comes the ability to create shared services departments, meaning one large operations unit, for example, that processes all orders and handles customer services for the group. This of course offers tremendous synergies and efficiencies. The actual ownership structure of eight different legal entities under the UID umbrella company remains unchanged however and long-term we do plan to simplify the structure for easier administration."

"We eliminated redundant positions in every unit but are confident there will be no impact to our operations," he continued. "Execution of the strategic plan has long been in the works and no further cuts are planned. We look forward now to a healthy and stable future for the business after what has been several years of turmoil through several different owners."

Matthews added the firm aimed to “make the transition for Turpin publishers as convenient as possible”. He told The Bookseller: “We stand ready to offer distribution including sales and marketing through Eurospan. We also can provide order processing and accounts receivable services to publishers through the Marston unit. Third, we can offer a menu of al-la-carte services through Marston to transfer stock and arrange freight. Last, publishers may work with the administrator, once appointed, on how to remove their inventory from the Biggleswade Distribution Centre warehouse. We also have a journals solution inside of Marston that publishers may wish to use.”

As part of a number of changes across UID, Frank Autumnale has been named as global chief financial officer and will be overseeing finance and accounting teams in the US and the UK. Julian Barnes is director of HR in the UK, while Mark Chaloner will remain UID group chief operating officer, overseeing facilities, warehouse management, and interdepartmental communication, reporting to Matthews.

Imogen Adams, m.d. of Eurospan, will join the global business development team, offering Eurospan’s services in both the UK and US domestic markets alongside the global network of sub-distributors and agents. 

Her team will include Michelle Zappa as head of sales, and Catherine Lawn Edwards, head of marketing. Zappa will oversee the accounts used by all the companies, and will continue to manage international academic sales, with her US-based counterpart Scott Hatfill, handling international trade sales as the US and UK international programmes are merged.

Eurospan’s Andrew Boughton will become director of operations, overseeing client and publisher service departments. Based in the London office, he will oversee the management of customers’ metadata, e-book and digital print services, and manage the group’s order processing and supply chain functions. His team will include head of distribution services Tracy Hopkins, head of data and online operations James L Smith, head of publisher services Sarah Knapton, and a customer services manager who is yet to be named. 

Matthews said: “This restructuring of the UK has long been anticipated and the leadership team is excited to execute our plans to build a strong and enduring future for the business."