A team of lawyers from Burges Salmon has acted for global labels business Spear Group on its acquisition by Vienna headquartered Constantia Flexibles Group.

Spear has been the world’s leading innovator and supplier of pressure sensitive labels for the beverage industry since 1982.  The company has sales of approximately US$ 195 million with 650 employees located at four facilities in North America, one site in Europe (Cwmbran, UK), one site in South Africa and a sales office in Singapore.  Additionally, Spear has an increasingly growing business which provides re-sealable products primarily for the food and snack markets.

Thomas Unger, CEO of Constantia Flexibles, said: “We will be able to serve our customers even better together with Spear, a leading beverage labels business with a highly attractive, global, blue-chip customer base. The Group’s outstanding technological capabilities present many opportunities for continued profitable growth. We look forward to partnering with Spear’s excellent management team to capture the benefits from combining our businesses.”

“We are excited by the increased opportunities that Spear will be able to offer our customers by joining forces with Constantia Flexibles.  This combination will enhance our leadership position in the technological development of pressure sensitive labeling for primary brand decoration,” said Rick Spear, CEO of Spear.”

The Burges Salmon team was led by corporate finance partner Richard Spink, supported by senior associate Vanessa Joyner and associate Adam Love, as well as specialists from the firm's employment, banking and tax teams. Spear is a long-standing client of the firm: the firm acted on the original buyout in 1999. Since then Burges Salmon has continued to advise Spear on a regular basis during which time Spear has grown from one plant in the USA to six plants in three continents.

"We have worked closely with Spear and its management for many years and are delighted to have worked with them on what was a significant transaction for both businesses" says Richard Spink.

Mike Henry, Spear's CFO, commented: "The Burges Salmon team have worked with us since 1999 and know our business extremely well. They have provided great support and advice in what has been a very intensive transaction process."

The acquisition is part of the international growth strategy of Constantia Flexibles. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. Thompson Hine LLP, Burges Salmon's preferred firm in the US, acted for Spear and its management on US aspects of the deal.

Constantia Flexibles is a leading flexible packaging group supplying international customers in the food, pet food, pharmaceutical and beverage industries. More than 6,500 employees in over 50 group companies in 20 countries offer innovative packaging solutions on a global basis.

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