Bolton paper firm is snapped up by German giant

Mike Docker of WEPA

German firm WEPA Hygieneprodukte GmbH has acquired all shares in its Northwood & WEPA joint venture.

The firm, which is based in Bolton, is the UK and Ireland’s leading private label paper supplier. The move will see Northwood & WEPA change its name to WEPA UK.

Subject to formalities, the completion of the purchase is planned for next month. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

The market-leading business currently employs 270 staff and operates out of its commercial headquarters in Bolton and a production plant in Bridgend, which produces more than 600 million rolled paper products for the British consumer market annually.

The business reported a turnover of £120m in 2017, up 5% per cent on the previous year.

That figure is forecast to rise to more than £130m in 2018.

As part of this growth, £21m has been invested in two new state-of-the-art converting lines at the Bridgend facility.

Mike Docker, managing director at Northwood & WEPA, said: “The WEPA Group is a family-owned business, backed by 70 years’ paper manufacturing excellence and expertise.

“Since the joint partnership began in 2013, we have made great strides in the UK’s growing private label market.

“The WEPA Group’s acquisition of all shares and the upcoming WEPA UK rebrand is a positive move for the business and our customers alike. It’s very much business as usual, and an exciting time for the team to push ahead with further growth under the guidance of an ambitious owner.”

Northwood & WEPA, soon to be WEPA UK, is the UK and Ireland’s number one private label paper supplier.

WEPA Hygieneprodukte GmbH, the German parent group, is one of the three largest suppliers in the European tissue market, with 3,800 employees and a turnover of approx. 1.2 billion euros.

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