Chicago, Illinois - The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that Quad/Graphics Inc. and LSC Communications Inc. have abandoned their planned merger.
The Department filed suit on June 20, 2019, to block the merger, alleging the transaction would combine the only two significant providers of magazine, catalog, and book printing services, denying publishers and retailers throughout the country the benefits of competition that has spurred lower prices, improved quality, and greater printing output. The case was scheduled for trial in the U.S. District Court in Chicago on Nov. 14, 2019.
“This result is a victory for American consumers and publishers, and a testament to the Division’s resolve to enforce the antitrust laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Had this merger gone forward, it would have harmed competition that benefits publishers, retailers, and, ultimately, consumers through lower prices and greater availability of printed products from popular books to grade school textbooks.”
The magazine, catalog, and book printing services offered by Quad and LSC include the printing, finishing, and distribution of publications to newsstands, retail facilities, or the postal service for delivery to consumers’ homes. Quad and LSC are by far the most significant integrated printers in the United States and are relied upon by many of the largest publishers and retailers to ensure that high-quality products are printed and distributed on time.
Quad/Graphics Inc. is a Wisconsin corporation headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin. It offers a variety of printing services, including magazine, catalog, and book printing services, to publishers across the country. In 2018, Quad’s revenues were approximately $4.2 billion.
LSC Communications Inc. is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In 2016, it was spun off from printing firm R.R. Donnelley. LSC offers a similar set of magazine, catalog, and book printing services as Quad. In 2018, LSC’s revenues were approximately $3.8 billion.