Global chemicals distributor Univar (Redmond, Washington / USA; www.univar.com) has signed an agreement to buy Turkish distributor Eral-Protek (Istanbul; www.eral-protek.com). The deal is expected to be wrapped up in February. The move comes on the heels of Univar’s acquisition of the global operations of Basic Chemical Solutions (Redwood City, California / USA; www.basicchem.com) this past December. As a result of these purchases, Univar now has a significant presence in the local Turkish market.

Univar believes it is well-placed to exploit the potential of the Turkish market, whose plastics sector is growing at an impressive 15% each year – for an overview of Turkey’s plastics industry, see Plasteurope.com of 10.11.2010. In addition, the Redmond-based group believes Turkey’s geographic location will allow it to synergize its European and Middle Eastern businesses. Once the deal has been approved, Univar says it will broaden the existing portfolio, introducing new suppliers, products and services to the coatings, personal care, food and pharmaceutical sectors, among others.

Eral-Protek consists of two separate companies, Eral and Protek, that are privately held by the same main shareholders. The former was founded in 1986, with the latter making its debut in 1994. According to own estimates, Eral-Protek is Turkey’s leading chemicals distributor.