Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd announced today that it will exit its commercial printing operations as of August 31.

BPHL is in discussions for an employee takeover of the company to continue to provide print and other graphics services to Bermuda.

The closure does not affect the production of The Royal Gazette newspaper or the operations of BPHL’s other subsidiary companies.

Globally, the commercial printing industry has been steadily contracting with the transition to online resources and digital marketing, among other consumption shifts. The decline has been accentuated in Bermuda by a diminished corporate and tourism sector, as well as increased operating costs.

Bermuda Press management and staff have dedicated significant thought and energy to restructuring operations and developing innovative printing services for the Bermuda market. Despite these considerable and sustained efforts, it has been determined there is no longer sufficient demand to support a full-service lithographic printing plant in Bermuda.

With the company’s long history in commercial printing locally, the decision by BPHL to discontinue the commercial printing operations has not been made lightly.