WEPA Group Acquires Lucart France SAS Tissue Mill

WEPA International GmbH, Germany, has acquired 100% ownership of Lucart s.p.a.’s (Italy) Lucart France SAS operations. At the beginning of this month, WEPA took over the plant in Troyes and the consumer business related to products it manufactures. The company's name has been changed to WEPA Troyes SAS.

 

Lucart Group will continue its activity in the French market through its other French company, Novatissue SAS, concentrating on developing Away from Home tissue business and on the production of recycled tissue products for the consumer market.

 

The goal of the acquisition, according to Martin Krengel, CEO of WEPA Group, is to further strengthen WEPA's market position in the consumer private label sector on the French market and to increase its paper production and converting capacity.

 

Massimo Pasquini, CEO of Lucart s.p.a., noted that the sale of Lucart France is part of a strategic project to refocus Lucart Group activities on its core business. 

The WEPA Troyes SAS plant is located in Troyes in the region of Champagne-Ardenne. The Troyes mill has an annual production capacity of 32,000 metric tons of tissue, a converting capacity of 40,000 metric tpy, and employs more than 150 people. The company is mainly dedicated to the French private label consumer business. 

 

WEPA Group is a family-owned company, employing some 3,000 personnel in 11 locations throughout Europe. Founded in 1948, WEPA produces hygiene papers, totaling 640,000 metric tpy of toilet tissue, kitchen rolls, handkerchiefs, facial tissues, napkins, industrial rolls, and toweling paper, produced on 16 paper machines. The WEPA Group has a turnover of approximately EUR 1 billion, representing an European hygiene paper market share of 8%. The products are mainly sold to the consumer sector, predominantly as private labels to the European retailers. 

Lucart Group has a production capacity of 300,000 metric tpy of tissue and MG paper, a turnover of EUR 400 million, and more than 1,200 employees in six plants. The group is a leader in the Italian Away from Home tissue sector and in the European market of light weigh recycled MG paper. Lucart Group is the main producer of recycled tissue products for AFH and Consumer markets in south Europe.