Wickliffe Solutions' parent company Kalamazoo (NZ) Ltd is co-directed and owned 50:50 by Stephen and Odelia D'Souza, of St Heliers, in Auckland. Attempts yesterday to contact Mr D'Souza were unsuccessful. One report said he was overseas.
Dunedin-based southern regional sales manager for Wickliffe Solutions, Paul Johnson, was contacted and said he was aware that: ''Yes, there are a lot of rumours around ... three or four people thought [incorrectly] we've been sold. I wish I knew myself.
''Wickliffe has been bought and sold a couple of times during the past five years,'' he said.
Wickliffe Solutions encompasses several print and distribution companies across the country.
In recent restructuring and rebranding, 19 jobs, including 17 in print production, have been lost from Dunedin.
Mr Johnston said he was focusing on planned changes in Dunedin.
A move from Taieri Print's Fairfield site into Kaikorai Valley was scheduled for November 30, and last week the company took delivery of a $1 million Fuji digital print machine.
''We're still on track for consolidation,'' Mr Johnson said.
Some sources understood Kalamazoo chief executive Glen Climo, in Auckland, was in negotiations with other parties, but Mr Climo did not return calls yesterday.
Wickliffe is one of several printers around the country which have been bought by Mr D'Souza. He bought Wickliffe in October 2010, including a heavy debt load.
Kalamazoo was established in 1904, and has been owned by Mr D'Souza since 2004.
The companies purchased include Palmerston North-owned K&M Print, trading in Wellington, Taieri Print near Dunedin, Astra Print in Wellington, Auckland's The Print Shop and Print Counsel, logistics company Stocklink and Wyatt & Wilson Print.
Many of the companies were struggling, not only with the recent economic recession, but also the transition from traditional print to digital printing technology,As at June, Kalamazoo staff numbers around the country were reported at about 400.
In Dunedin, there were 75, including 10 at the national call centre, eight in national IT and 25 at Fairfield, at the time. The Mosgiel distribution centre had 10. The balance of the company's employees were spread between Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Palmerston North.
Wickliffe sold its 1.5ha site in Clyde St to the Dunedin City Council in 2003, and leased it back for five years. Then, in a joint venture, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic paid $6.8 million for it in June 2008.
