Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland advises the founders in Innova Capital’s investment in a leading player on the flexible packaging market

Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland has acted on the sell side of Innova Capital’s acquisition of shares in Drukarnia Embe Press sp. z o.o. in Lublin, a leading supplier of labels and flexible packaging for the beverage and food industry. As a result of the transaction, which is now being finalized, the fund will gain exposure to the attractive flexible packaging market.

Funds managed by Innova Capital have signed an agreement to acquire 80% of the shares of Drukarnia Embe Press. This is the third transaction completed from the newest Innova/6 fund, which closed in April 2018. The founders of Embe Press, Sławomir Bezdek and Marian Mamczarz, will remain minority shareholders of the company and will support its further development as supervisory board members. This is another example of a founders’ succession transaction, in which Innova Capital is becoming an important partner for Polish entrepreneurs, proving its leading position in this segment of the private equity market in Poland.

Embe Press specializes in the manufacturing of labels using flexographic printing technology, providing printing services for, among others, customers from the beverage and food industry in Poland and abroad. The company will continue its current strategy, focusing on manufacturing a wide range of labels and providing the highest standard of printing services. As a financial investor, Innova will make it possible to follow through with plans for further development, including completing investments in the newly built manufacturing plant as well as ongoing improvement of products and expansion of the product range.

Innova Capital is interested in consolidating the flexible packaging market, including labels in Poland and elsewhere in Central Europe. Innova Capital is in advanced talks with several leading players on the flexible packaging market. More detailed information on the strategy and plans of the fund in this sector will be presented once the transaction has been finalized, which will follow approval by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

The team at Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland advising the founders included Michał Karwacki (partner), Natalia Burchardt (senior associate), Krzysztof Wiśniewski (lawyer), Kamil Ciodyk (lawyer), Zofia Piekarczyk (associate),  Adam Nierzwicki (counsel) and Paweł Lasota (senior associate).