The London-based Kuwait Investment Office, a subsidiary of the state investment authority of the small oil-producing country on the Persian Gulf, (www.kia.gov.kw), intends to sell all its interests in the packaging and food service company, Autobar Group Ltd (GB-Brentford TW8 0DY; www.autobar.com), which operates throughout Europe. In addition to finance investment organizations, rival Bunzl (GB-London W1K 6NX; www.bunzl.com) is also interested in acquiring the company according to British stock-market observers (see PIE 07, 2004).

In the 2003 financial year (March 31), Autobar posted sales of EUR 1.2 bn and ebitda of EUR 118m with a workforce of 7,255. The Group is organised in three business units: “Vending & Food Service” is involved with the distribution and dispensing of food and beverages (including catering, dispensing machines, coffee roasting facilities), while “Distribution & Services” covers the wholesale and marketing activities for packed goods, primarily in the UK.

The third business unit, “Packaging & Disposables” consists of the plastics segments. Autobar Packaging (www.autobarpackaging.com) manufactures transparent PS, PP and PET packaging by thermoforming and injection moulding at nine sites across Europe. It also owns Autobar Packaging Company (D-88124 Ravensburg) – formerly Zach Verpackungen – with 270 employees. Autobar Flexible Packaging (www.autobar-flexible.com) processes around 120,000 t/y, predominantly PE, at four sites in France (2), the UK and Holland. The division claims to be the number one player in France for PE film with sales of around EUR 170m and a workforce of 800. Veriplast International (www.veriplast.com) operates above all in Benelux. Veriplast produces PS and PET beakers under the “Mono” brand, and insulating beakers and small containers of EPS under the name “Fibracan”. The “Veriplast” core segment also manufactures one-way trays and dishes in PET, PS and PP.