© Refresco/Richard Sinon
Refresco has agreed to acquire US-based packaging manufacturer Arizona Production & Packaging (AZPACK) for an undisclosed sum, expanding its US bottling operations.
Tempe-headquartered AZPACK provides bottling and canning services to customers in the US, producing packaging for applications including sports and energy drinks.
Refresco will acquire AZPACK’s manufacturing site in Tempe as a result of the acquisition, and the company says that the purchase will enable strategic growth in the North American market.
Hans Roelofs, CEO Refresco Group, said: “North America is a large and very diverse market with a lot of growth potential in different drinks categories. Our current footprint consists of 27 locations in North America, serving national and international branded beverage companies and retailers.
“With the addition of AZPACK to the Refresco Group, we will be even better positioned to service customers in the Southwestern USA across many categories, including energy drinks and innovative sports drinks.
“AZPACK will have a specialist role in the Refresco Group, as they are known for their expertise in manufacturing complex niche products for branded beverage companies.”
Adds Peter Reilly, Co-Founder of AZPACK: “We have grown our company significantly over the past decade, but recognize the need for a different and larger platform in order to continue to grow and thrive.
“Both Dr. Wang and I will stay on as managers to support this next growth phase. Refresco is a very experienced beverage solutions provider and they value entrepreneurship and flexibility as much as we do. Our can-do mentality perfectly matches their approach to serving customers.”
The deal is the second announced in two days by Refresco, as the company also announced that it had reportedly agreed to acquire three bottling sites in France from Britvic.
According to Refresco, the prospective purchase will also include Britvic’s related retailer brands business in France, the Fruité juice brand and a long-term contract manufacturing agreement.
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