Austrian packaging producer Alpla (Hard; www.alpla.com) has agreed to acquire Romanian company Star East Pet (Brașov; www.stareastpet.ro) boosting its capacity in eastern Europe. Star East Pet specialises in manufacturing PET performs for drinks, food and non-food products for both local and international customers. The company, which employs 70 people, posted a turnover of RON 124m (EUR 27m) in 2015.

“We are gaining access to a strong distribution network. Star East Pet is a good strategic partner, which will help us to achieve our targets in Romania and beyond,” commented Alpla CEO Günther Lehner. The transaction, which remains subject to the usual closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to conclude by the middle of 2017. Both parties have agreed not to disclose financial terms of the deal.

Alpla has been operating for many years in the Romanian market where its focus is on bottles and closures for the personal care and home care segments. It said it has identified an important future market in eastern Europe for PET recycling and is working to raise awareness and increase recycling in the region. Alpla opened a PET recycling facility in Radomsko / Poland in April 2013 – see Plasteurope.com of 22.04.2013. The company noted that around 75 employees at the plant have used approximately 75,000 t of PET bottles every year.