Packaging retail company becomes part of global group with the assistance of Corporate team’s expertise

Led by Partner Rachel Turner and assisted by Solicitor, Anisha Grewal and Paralegal, Harry Upshall, the Thames Valley Corporate Team recently advised on the sale of Crawley-based specialist packaging and retail display supplier, Wine Box Company Ltd (WBC) to Premier Paper Group, part of the Japan Pulp and Paper Group, the UK’s leading paper merchant. Peter Orton in the Employment team acted on the employment aspects of the deal.

WBC was founded in 1989 and began with a £5,000 loan from the Prince’s Trust.  Today, the company has grown into an £18m turnover business. Andrew Wilson, a majority shareholder and chairman of WBC said: “Being part of a global company provides WBC with the resources and expertise to expand and improve, reassuring both our customers and suppliers during these unpredictable times.

“Although joining forces with Premier means WBC is expanding, the core values of the company is what drives how it operates and interacts with its customers, suppliers and employees. Therefore, it was imperative that the legacy of WBC be continued with any new owner, and I believe its legacy will thrive under Premier with both companies sharing similar values.”

The clients were also full of praise for Rachel and the team, commenting: “The team were a delight to work with.  HCR were a breath of fresh air with their pragmatic, get things done approach. They collectively made a painful process as pain-free as possible.”

Rachel Turner said: “It was an absolute pleasure working with Andrew and Tim on this transaction. Their patience and good-humoured approach was a blessing, particularly during the due diligence and disclosure process”