The Industrial Polymers division of British Vita (Soudan Street, Middleton, GB-Manchester M24 2DB) has bought Imperial Packaging, a US thermoplastic sheet manufacturer, for USD 5.6m, payable in cash. The deal is designed to provide a platform for British Vita to develop thin gauge polypropylene sheet in the US market and takes spending on acquisitions by the Vita division to more than GBP 200m in the last two years.

Based in Thomasville, Georgia, and employing 42 staff, Imperial Packaging is a specialist producer of thermoplastic sheet for the graphic arts and packaging markets. It had operating profits of USD 0.6m on sales of USD 6.2m in 1999.

Commenting on the sale, British Vita executive director Roy Dobson said it was a significant step in the development of the company´s rapidly growing thin gauge PP business for the graphic arts market. “Current European market growth is in excess of 15% per annum,” said Dobson, “and Imperial will provide the ideal platform to develop this product in the USA.”

British Vita has over 90 thermoplastic sheet lines operating across the UK and continental Europe where Royalite Industrial Sheet, with sales exceeding GBP 5m annually, is one of its most well known subsidiaries. In the US, its major associate is Spartech.