Coveris acquires St. Neots Packaging

St. Neots Packaging manufacturers fiver-based packaging products for the food-to-go and convenience markets. Supplying film-lined sandwich packaging, bespoke cartons and other consumer products to the UK’s major retail and foodservice customers, its revenue has doubled in the last five years.

The strategic acquisition supports Coveris’ long-term plans for growth in new and existing markets, with a particular focus on the growing convenience and food-to-go sectors. The two St. Neots Packaging facilities in Cambridgeshire and sourcing office in Hong Kong complement Coveris’ existing cartonboard operation in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The acquisition now places Coveris’ UK Food & Consumer sales in excess of 400 million GBP with over 2,000 staff and 16 UK sites.

Mark Lapping, president of Coveris’ UK Food & Consumer business, said: ‘St. Neots Packaging provides a hugely exciting opportunity for Coveris, enabling our customers to benefit from increased resources, shared knowledge and enhanced innovation potential. As a great addition to our existing cartonboard operation, the move enables us to provide a dedicated packaging offering to better serve customers in both FMCG cartonboard and food-to-go packaging markets.’

The news follows St. Neots Packaging’s recently announced capacity increase after investment in the UK’s first KBA Rapida 145 large format press to deliver 40 percent more cartonboard capacity.

With over 200 staff based in the UK and Hong Kong, St. Neots Packaging said the deal enables it to target a growing interest in global convenience markets, while also supporting its existing foodservice offering in the UK and Europe, with Andy Ducker, St. Neots Packaging chairman noting that, ‘the backing of the Coveris group marks a major development for St Neots Packaging and enables the business to accelerate growth to its next phase.

‘With Coveris’ experience, shared values of service and innovation and extensive knowledge of our products, the acquisition provides a very exciting opportunity for our staff and customers to grow.’

Coveris is the sixth largest global plastic packaging company in the world, and was formed by the combination of Exopack, Britton Group, Kobusch, PACCOR and Paragon Print & Packaging.

Coveris has also recently confirmed the integration of KubeTech Custom Molding, a North American manufacturer of rigid packaging, to bolster the company’s rigid packaging offering to customers in North America.