The acquisition of the UK arm of the Italian Sirap Group will see the two long-standing business in the packaging sector combine and help diversify PFF’s product range.
PFF Group managing director Kenton Robbins said: “This investment forms a key part of the Group’s continued growth strategy, increasing our brand share of the UK’s thermoforming sector, and a fantastic opportunity for us to manufacture a wider variety of products to a more diverse range of customers.
Synergy and growth
“We look forward to realising the significant synergies that Sirap UK and PFF Group have and the opportunities for growth and scale that this presents for the Group.”
Based in Keighley, West Yorkshire and Washington, Tyne and Wear, family-owned PFF employs more than 250 people and is one of the UK’s largest independent food packaging manufacturers.
The manufacturer supplies supermarkets, multinational food manufacturers, foodservice and fresh produce companies across the country.
PFF also recently launched a health division with an investment of £2m and has been producing millions of disposable polythene aprons at its Washington site for use by frontline NHS and social care workers.
Food and drink acquisitions
The past month has seen a number of acquisitions within the food and drink industry.
Chilled desserts maker Rhokett Limited, which Michelin star chef Gary Rhodes helped set up and is based at Cranbrook, Kent, was acquired by private-equity-backed Spanish food group Palacios.
The acquisition involved Palacios acquiring a majority interest in Rhokett’s shares, with the option to buy the remaining shares from the management team at a later date.
Meanwhile, meat supplier Pilgrim’s UK has announced the acquisition of lamb processor Randall Parker Foods RPF as it continues to expand across the animal protein sector.
RPF’s two manufacturing facilities – an abattoir in Powys processing up to 20,000 lambs a week and a retail packing plant in Andover – would form part of its Dalehead Foods division, Pilgrim's UK said.