Lakeside Book Co. Acquires Marquis Book Printing to Gain Greater Access to Canadian Market

Lakeside Book Co. has acquired Marquis Book Printing to gain market share in the Canadian book publishing market, while improving lead times and overall service capabilities. Founded in 1937, Montréal-based Marquis operates two production plants in the province of Quebec, as well as a production plant and a logistics center in the province of Ontario. Privately held Marquis also operates a division specializing in the production of yearbooks and school agendas, Le Laurentien, and a division dedicated to graphic production, Interscript.

Marquis will operate as a division of Warrenville, Illinois-based Lakeside Book. Lakeside CEO Dave McCree will continue to lead the business. Serge Loubier will continue to manage the approximately 600-employee Marquis, remaining in his capacity as president.

Lakeside reported annual sales of $868 million on the most recent Printing Impressions 300 list (click here to access) of the largest printers in the U.S. and Canada, as ranked by annual sales volumes. Of that $868 million, Lakeside reported book print segment sales of $850.64 million, making it the largest book manufacturer in North America. Marquis did not participate on the 2022 Printing Impressions 300, but reported $101.10 in annual sales for the 2021 ranking.

The Command Cos. ranked No. 2 on the December 2022 Top 5 Book Printers market segment leaders ranking, with total sales of $335 million, and book segment sales of $167.50. (Note: Privately held CJK Group does not divulge its annual sales, but Printing Impressions estimated it as $631 million, which would have made it the second largest book manufacturer.)

Lakeside was a part of publication and catalog printing powerhouse LSC Communications following the split of RR Donnelley into three separate, publicly held companies in 2016. LSC Communications ultimately filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was subsequently acquired in 2020 by Atlas Holdings, a large private equity firm with several graphic arts industry holdings. Atlas then established Lakeside as a standalone  book division.

"We are excited to welcome Marquis into the Lakeside family. Joining the two leading printing companies in North America allows us to better serve the needs of our customers and improve service for publishers of all sizes," said Dave McCree, in a prepared statement. "Marquis' business model is designed to better serve small- to mid-sized publishers, complementing Lakeside's unparalleled service to all publishers. Additionally, Marquis' presence in major Canadian English- and French-speaking markets will improve our responsiveness and efficiency."

Serge Loubier, president of Marquis, was similarly upbeat about how the acquisition will benefit its book publishing customers. "Marquis' long-standing history of operational excellence and Lakeside's comprehensive printing and distribution services provide customers with immediate benefits in state-of-the-art technology and scale that will enable faster delivery of books to market.

"I am excited to continue to lead Marquis as part of the Lakeside family with the same dedication to the Quebec, Canadian, and U.S. markets and the continued growth this affords our business," he added.

This latest acquisition continues the consolidation that has been occurring throughout the North American book manufacturing segment the past several years.