Through its holding company QOL Fi, French independent replicator QOL has finalised the acquisition of Belgium disc manufacturer Vogue Trading Video (VTV), a subsidiary of the Roularta Media Group.

Located in Courtrai, Belgium, VTV has a 10,000 square meter plant with a daily capacity of 200,000 CDs and 100,000 DVDs. It houses one of the most advanced printing operations, in particular for the manufacture and printing of inlays, digipacks, leaflets, and box sets, with the ability for automatic conditioning of digipacks (5,000+/hour).

As part of its expansion strategy, QOL has also signed an exclusive contract with the entire Roularta Media Group – present in France, Belgium and the UK – for the production of CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

“This expansion through the acquisition of VTV, clearly positions QOL as a leader in the European market, predominantly in England, Germany and Northern Europe, bringing the company’s expertise notably in the area of high definition Blu-ray to VTV customers and others in Europe,” says Laurent Villaume, CEO of QOL.

The sales force will be led by Stuart Mansfield, who recently joined the company, and who is bringing his experience in the video, games and music industry while with Macrovision. Mansfield will report to Sylvie Binard, Vice President Sales & Marketing of the QOL group.

QOL Belgium will be managed by Stefan Lanssens, formerly a director of VTV. Jean Werbrouck, VTV founder, becomes an adviser to Villaume.

Story filed 31.03.09