Private equity firm Next Wave Ventures (London / UK; www.nextwave-ventures.com) has acquired PET drinks packaging business Petainer from Rexam (London / UK; www.rexam.com) for GBP 16m (EUR 17.8m). Petainer manufactures PET bottles, preforms and kegs to a range of global drinks companies. It is headquartered in Lidköping / Sweden, operates a second plant in Asch / Czech Republic and has a sales office in Germany. The company claims to be the market leader for reusable PET bottles in Germany and for PET beverage containers in the Nordic region.

Nigel Pritchard, Petainer’s new group CEO, said the company’s growth strategy is based on investing in innovation and new product and service development. The company’s managing director in Sweden, Per-Olof Wallin, said its latest technology, the PET beer keg, was launched in September 2009 with the goal of replacing the traditional metal keg and providing many cost benefits to breweries and transport companies. “The PET keg significantly reduces the environmental impact of keg distribution. It is substantially lighter compared to its metal counterpart, requires less energy in its manufacture and is recyclable, therefore removing the need for it to be returned,” he added.