A historic Sunderland printing business is to halt manufacturing after 155 years in business, with the loss of 53 job losses.
Edward Thompson first launched in Sunderland in 1867 as a small stationery printer but at its height employed more than 1,000 people, printing everything from bingo cards and promotional games for national newspapers, to election ballot papers used around the globe.
In its heyday, as the firm which launched the national newspaper bingo game, it was printing more than 150 million tickets a week, with national newspapers handing bosses the management of games – which often had top prize money of £1m – as an independent contractor, and providing telephone operators to take entries.
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Now, however, the firm’s CEO Paddy Cronin has told how the last two years of the pandemic has had a negative impact on the business, with bingo halls being forced to close and newspaper promotional games also falling in numbers, leaving the company with no choice but to cease manufacturing.
He said the decision marks the end of an era and that the printing presses would come to a halt at the end of March. The company will continue its mathematical services to clients, which is carried out by two to three people, but Mr Cronin said: “Manufacturing will come to an end. The business was started with a bet in 1867 but our luck has run out.
“It’s a great shame. It’s horrible for all of us. Around two thirds of the staff have done more than 25 years of service, they are like family.
“Of our core markets, the bingo halls were closed for a year and even though they are now opening up again, around 15% to 20% of them don’t exist any more because they’ve shut down for good.
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“Unfortunately, Covid and other market conditions has negatively affected our businesses and left us no option but to close. It is an end to a proud history."
Mr Cronin said the company has been involved in numerous ‘weird and wacky’ things over the years, and that he takes pride in the fact that Nelson Mandela was elected on ballot papers printed in Sunderland.
The business branched into printing election papers after the fall in demand for paper-based bingo led to the closure of its paper mill. The company moved into electronic and internet-based bingo, and printed ballot papers for the European parliament elections and for elections in Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.
Mr Cronin said: “We started during the reign of Queen Victoria in a little shop in the town and grew at one point to employ over one thousand people.
“We’ve printed bingo and games for over 40 different countries. We helped start the National Bingo Game. We have supplied promotions for most of the biggest newspapers in Europe and the World.
“We’ve helped raise many millions for charity from our mailing raffle packs. We’ve built bingo halls in Moscow, South Africa and the Everglades.
“We’ve printed hundreds of millions of ballot papers including the ballot papers that Nelson Mandela was elected from. We are, and always will be, proud to be from Sunderland.
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“I would like to thank all our customers, suppliers and colleagues who have helped us over the years.
“We are privileged to have worked with you, and for you. I’m really proud of what we achieved. We are organizing and training new suppliers to take up the reins of our products and we will be contacting our customers directly to give details.”