End of an old tune as Honnor hands over command of Piccolo to Johnson

Piccolo Press, the specialist Highlands printing company whose clients include the Royal Family and the House of Commons, has been sold for a six-figure sum in a deal that will see the founder retire after 30 years at the helm.

Commander Tim Honnor will hand over to new owner Michael Johnson, former chief executive of the British Printing Industries Federation. The jobs of 12 staff have been safeguarded as part of the deal.

Based in Nairn, Piccolo Press is known worldwide with a client list that also includes the National Trust for Scotland, the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle and the UK’s armed services. It is a supplier to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and recommended by Debretts.

Johnson visited some 1,800 print companies during his time at the British Printing Industries Federation, and offered to buy Piccolo after visiting the company’s premises last year.

He said: “I could not resist the chance to purchase such a reputable and established company, and one I have long admired.”

Honnor, 71, said: “I’m sorry to be leaving, but there is a tide in the affairs of men… and I know that Piccolo will be in expert hands.

“Michael has a genuine passion for this industry, and we share the same exacting standards.”

Former Royal Navy officer Honnor established Piccolo in Dartmouth, Devon in 1984 and relocated it to Inverness in 1986 and to its current home in 1996.

Piccolo Press is the only printer in Scotland capable of producing engraved stationery, and works with a former engraver to the Bank of England.