Smurfit Kappa Group has significantly expanded its product range in France with the acquisition of Papcart, as well as two Europac sites in Brittany.
Papcart is a specialist in offset printing and conversion of cardboard and corrugated board consumer packaging, and the acquisition will enable SKG to extend its portfolio with a complete range for the luxury goods, wines & spirits, FMCG and bag-in-box markets.
The group has a ‘natural synergy’ with SKG, the Irish-based packaging giant said, as it already has a strong presence in the consumer packaging segments and corrugated board solutions for perfume and food.
Speaking about the acquisition of Papcart, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Europe, Saverio Mayer, said: “This latest acquisition is of significant strategic importance for our French operations and significantly adds to the range of capabilities that we can offer our customers.”
Corrugated Packaging
From Europac, SKG has acquired the Caradec Box Plant in the Morbihan County and the Saint Pol de Léon site in the Finistére County, reinforcing its capabilities in the fruit and vegetable sector.
As a result, the group will now have a stronger link to the Brittany food markets and welcomes 200 employees to its worldwide community of employees.
Smurfit Kappa COO of Corrugated Europe, Edwin Goffard, said that this acquisition is part of the group’s integrated strategy and supports its continued drive to open up new opportunities.
Jean-Christophe Bugeon, CEO of Smurfit Kappa France, welcomed employees from both companies to the company, adding that more and more retailers, growers, and companies are seeking more sustainable packaging alternatives, with the recent acquisitions enabling SKG to provide “an even wider choice of premium solutions to our offering”.
The Papcart sites, located in Gétigné and Jarnac, total 50,000m² of production, storage, and office space.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
