As part of a succession plan, Waterland is acquiring all shares of packaging and folding carton producer Leupold and its subsidiary Schneller, based in Schwabach, Germany. The aim of the partnership is to expand the technology and quality leadership of Leupold in scale as well as geographically. Leupold and Schneller are both led in fourth generation by the family, which is now selling its shares, while the existing management team will remain in place to ensure business continuity. The financial details of the transaction, which still remains subject to approval by the German competition authorities, will not be disclosed.

Founded in 1910, Joh. Leupold GmbH & Co. KG is a leading German producer of packaging and sales displays. With a production space of 17,000 square meters, the company is one of the largest family-run producers of folding cartons. Its range of products and services includes folding cartons, blister cards, blank cuts, corrugated packaging, displays and collapsible cartons as well as individualized custom-made products. The company produces about 1.5 million state-of-the-art packaging items each day and supplies both national customers as well as renowned international customers in the US and France, including numerous branded goods enterprises.

Waterland acquires Leupold and Schneller as part of a succession plan, which will set the course for establishing a new platform in the folding carton market. Over the next years, the aim for the platform is to gain additional market shares and to develop into a European quality leader in the area of folding carton production through both organic growth as well as targeted add-on acquisitions.

“Over the past years, we have continuously invested in the technical improvement of our processes, which has led to positive and sustainable developments benefitting our employees and customers. By implementing this succession plan, we want to initiate the next phase of our development – for this purpose we have joined up with Waterland as an experienced specialist for growth strategies”, says Reiner Kamphausen, Managing Director of Leupold. His colleague, Bernd Aßmann adds: “The Waterland team has an impressive track record when it comes to succession plans and further developing a wide range of mid-sized companies. We are certain that our partnership with Waterland is the ideal solution for both our customers and employees, and we are looking forward to the next steps on this journey.”

“Leupold and Schneller are active in a future-oriented market, in which both retailers and consumers are increasingly placing great importance on environmentally-friendly, sustainable packaging solutions. Especially in the area of online commerce, which has not just due to the corona crisis experienced an upswing, the demand for folding cartons is increasing. In this market environment, Leupold is excellently positioned in comparison to its competitors, in particular due to its high degree of customer orientation and technical leadership. For us, this is an ideal basis for steadily improving its international growth and expanding its role as a quality leader throughout Europe. To do so, it is our priority to continue providing the customers of Leupold and Schneller with the best service possible”, says Dr. Carsten Rahlfs, Managing Partner at Waterland Private Equity.

Press Contact Waterland
IWK Communication Partner
Ira Wülfing / Florian Bergmann
T +49 (0) 89 2000 30 30
waterland@iwk-cp.com
www.iwk-cp.com

Press Contact Leupold
Bernd Aßmann
Tel. +49 (0) 9122 8340-13
bernd.assmann@schnellerleupold.de