UK paper merchant Premier Paper announced the acquisition of 75 per cent of London-based retail packaging and display supplier WBC and its subsidiaries. The remaining 25% will remain in the hands of the current owners.
Founded in 1989, WBC has 55 employees and an annual turnover of £18 million. The company is a supplier of packaging and displays for the beverage and food sectors. The current management team and all WBC employees will be retained.
In turn, WBC will benefit from the additional resources, with this acquisition, Premier expands its offering in value-added and complementary markets.
In turn, WBC will benefit from the additional resources, logistical support and expertise provided by Premier.
«Although the two companies sell to very different market sectors» says Michael Beever, CEO of Premier Paper Group, «many of the same values are common to both organisations. Having WBC as part of our group will open up many opportunities for all parts of the company to develop product and service offerings by sharing knowledge and expertise. The acquisition of WBC is an important next step for Premier as we continue to complement our traditional paper merchant business with expansion into value-added areas».
Premier Paper Group recorded a turnover of £187 million in 2021 and is a leading supplier of paper, packaging and materials to the UK market. The company already took a step towards expanding its offering when it acquired laminating film supplier Zulu Packaging – now Premier Lamination Films – last July. Zulu Packaging supplies laminating products and packaging films, including flexible packaging films for direct food contact, laminating films for carton manufacturers and a stock range of laminating films for commercial printing.
As of 2019, Premier is part of Ovol Japan Pulp&Paper, a global company active in 21 countries with a turnover of USD 5 billion. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Pulp&Paper in June 2020, when the latter acquired all outstanding shares of Radms Paper, the sole owner of Premier Paper Group.