ORBIS ADVISES ON A NEW ACQUISITION FOR PREMIER PAPER GROUP

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

Orbis Partners has advised Minworth headquartered Premier Paper Group on its acquisition of speciality packaging and retail display company WBC.

Established in 1989, WBC, which has 55 employees and an annual turnover of £18 million, is now a leading packaging and display product supplier to the speciality drinks and food sectors. WBC is the latest acquisition by Premier as it expands into added value and complementary markets and follows the purchase of lamination film supplier Zulu Packaging (Now Premier Lamination Films) in July this year.

WBC has an excellent reputation and the name has strong brand equity within its market sectors and will remain unchanged. In addition, the current management team and all 55 WBC employees will be retained to ensure the continuity of customer and supplier relationships, high service levels and to facilitate future growth.

The Premier Paper Group had a turnover of £187m in 2021 and is a leading supplier of paper, packaging and materials to the UK market. In turn, Premier is part of OVOL Japan Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd., a global company that operates in 21 countries with a turnover of $5bn.

We are very pleased to have advised Premier on its latest acquisition. We worked closely with Premier management team throughout a competitive process to acquire WBC which included support in presenting the opportunity to Premier’s parent Japan Pulp & Paper Co. The addition of WBC provides further expansion in Premier’s offering in the growing specialist packaging sector.

Chris Gregory, Partner

OUR ROLE

Orbis have previously worked with the Directors of Premier during their sale to Japan Pulp and Paper Co in 2019. Specifically, Orbis:

Attended meetings with Premier’s Directors to evaluate WBC and the potential opportunity.
Structured an offer for the business taking into account the key requirements of Premier and the objectives of the WBC shareholders.
Prepared financial models and investment papers to present the opportunity to Premier’s parent company Japan Pulp and Paper Co.
Co-ordinated and managed financial and commercial due diligence providers.
Helped to negotiate the key commercial aspects of the legal documents.
Project managed the deal to completion, leading on all financial and commercial negotiations.