March 2018
H. Erben Holdings
Adviser to H. Erben Holdings on their sale to Berlin Packaging
£undisclosed
Grant Thornton team
  • Nick Gillott
    Nick Gillott
    Head of Industrials, Corporate Finance Advisory
Industrials
Sell side
Corporate finance
South Africa
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Flag of the United States

We are delighted to have advised H Erben Holdings Limited on their sale to the Berlin Packaging Group

Established in 1951 and based in Hadleigh, Suffolk, H. Erben Limited is a high-quality supplier of packaging and machinery into the wine, beer and spirits industries.  

Erben has achieved rapid growth under the guidance of the team led by Managing Director Sasha Erben and Finance Director Jannine Erben, quadrupling turnover since 2007 to £30m. 

Erben’s focus on quality, service, and customer outcomes supports its outstanding reputation in the market and this attracted an off-market acquisition approach by Berlin Packaging, a $2.6 billion global supplier of rigid packaging products and services based in the USA, with European headquarters in Milan where Berlin acquired Bruni Glass, a supplier of premium glass, in 2016. 

The shareholders of Erben approached our advisory team to support them to negotiate the potential sale.  

We focused on how the two businesses could come together to continue their successful growth story as a combined group. Working with the shareholders, we first identified the underlying performance of Erben and helped the team to present both Erben and the future opportunity to Berlin. 

Moving into negotiations we structured a deal which delivers an excellent outcome for the shareholders and sets up the combined businesses, within which Erben will continue to operate as it does today, for a successful future of growth in the UK and globally working together.

Testimonial
"We are delighted with the outcome on this transaction and thank Tim and his team for their expert advice and negotiation skills in making this deal happen. We look forward to the next stage of our strategic growth as part of the Berlin family."
Sasha Erben Managing Director, H. Erben Holdings Limited