Nicholl acquisition provides basis for continued growth

Specialist aluminium foil tray manufacturer the Nicholl Group has been acquired by Bawtry Investments Ltd for an undisclosed sum.

Nicholl and its subsidiaries will continue to operate as a separate division of Bawtry under their existing management teams and maintain the Group’s long-term growth strategy of developing the widest range of innovative food packaging solutions.

“This is an excellent outcome, which will enable us to maximise the potential of our Group,” explains Nicholl Group Chief Executive John Griffiths.

“Over the past two years we have completed a major financial restructuring and embarked on a comprehensive and pro-active new product development programme. With the support of a focused new owner, who shares our vision for the further development of the Group, we now have the long-term stability in place to enable us to achieve all our goals, while maintaining our reputation for first-class customer service.”

Bawtry Investments Ltd is the parent company of Doncaster-based Bawtry Carbon Limited, a manufacturer of highly specialist carbon products that are a key component in the process for the production by smelting of primary aluminium metal from its ore. These products are supplied to the world’s major aluminium producers.

“We are delighted to welcome the Nicholl Group and its employees to Bawtry Investments,” comments Richard Barrick, Director of Bawtry Investments. “This acquisition is a key part of our own growth strategy and a further demonstration of our commitment to sustainable manufacturing. We are confident that Nicholl will make an immediate and significant contribution to our continued success and development.”

Established in 1989, Nicholl Food Packaging is one of the largest producers of aluminium foil containers in Europe, with subsidiary operations in France and Benelux (Ecopla) and Germany (Bachmann). Its UK business is the market leader with over 40% share. The company’s European headquarters are based in a 15,000 square metre, purposed-designed facility in Cannock.

Nicholl manufactures and supplies containers for a wide variety of markets including ready meals, convenience foods, fresh meat, poultry and fish, and bakery products. In recent years, the company has further expanded its range to include trays produced from other materials, enabling it to offer tailored packaging solutions to meet individual customer requirements.