Scots packaging firm Macfarlane expands in England

Glasgow-based packaging firm Macfarlane Group has expanded in England with a new acquisition.

Macfarlane, which is the UK's biggest protective packaging distributor, bought Buckinghamshire-based Ecopac (UK) Ltd in a deal worth up to £3.9m.

Ecopac generated sales of £6m and pre-tax profits of £500,000 in the year ended 31 March 2018.

It focuses on customers based near its 60,000 sq ft facilities near Aylesbury.

Macfarlane said Ecopac was a profitable packaging business that would be earnings-enhancing in its first full year in the group.

Ecopac is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Macfarlane within the past two years.

In September 2017, it bought two Nottingham firms in a deal worth up to £16.75m. It later bought Leicester-based Tyler Packaging and Harrisons Packaging, based in Lancashire.

Macfarlane recently reported a ninth year of successive growth.

Sales were £217m in in 2018, up from £196m the year before. Pre-tax profits were at £11.2m - 20% ahead of 2017.