Europapier completes the acquisition of PaperNet’s signage business unit
Approval by antitrust authorities received: Europapier takes over the signage business unit and othe
Vienna, 20 July 2015 – Europapier CE GmbH, a daughter company of the Heinzel Group, has just closed the deal to acquire the signage business unit of the Austrian signage and paper merchant PaperNet GmbH, as was announced in June 2015. With this transaction, Europapier acquires the complete signage business as well as other remaining assets of PaperNet GmbH with effect from 24 July 2015. From that day, Europapier CE GmbH will provide full support and service to signage customers throughout the country, with company PaperNet GmbH closing its entire sales operation on the same day, as was officially pre- announced.
As part of the transaction, Europapier also takes over the existing PaperNet GmbH signage team of 17 employees around business lead Michael Hicker, guaranteeing a smooth transition of the business for existing customers. The Austrian daughter companies of the Europapier Group, Europapier Austria GmbH and EU-RO Handelsges.m.b.H., both specialized in paper wholesaling and both holding the position of local market leaders, have continuously expanded their product portfolio and significantly increased their stock during the past weeks. This allows them to guarantee a reliable and sufficient supply to their Austrian paper wholesale customers, despite PaperNet’s discontinuation.
“In the continuously shrinking paper market we will witness further changes on the supply side in the coming years,” Helmut Limbeck, Board Member and co-owner of the Europapier Group, explains. “Contrary to current business trends, Europapier’s strategy is to invest in the product portfolio, availability and services offered in order to further expand our position as market leader and stay the reliable partner of choice for our customers. As the single remaining Austrian paper wholesaler, we bear a special responsibility in our home market. The recent extension of our product and service portfolio with the new range of signage business has therefore been a logical step.”
ABOUT THE EUROPAPIER GROUP
The Europapier Group is an internationally operating company. Strategically it aims to perform above industry standards in producing long-term, sustainable profits. By sales volume it is the most important paper merchant in CEE and a pioneer in these markets. The Europapier Group employs about 870 people and has an annual sales volume of around 570,000 tons.
ABOUT THE HEINZEL GROUP
The Heinzel Group, which is united under the Heinzel Holding umbrella, ranks with its industrial locations Zellstoff Pöls AG, Laakirchen Papier AG (both Austria) and AS Estonian Cell (Estonia) among the largest producers of market pulp and magazine paper in Central and Eastern Europe. The group’s Trading Business Area includes Wilfried Heinzel AG, a globally active pulp, paper and board trading company, and Europapier International AG, the leading paper merchant in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, Bunzl & Biach GmbH is the largest and most important waste paper company in Austria and a leading wholesaler in Central and Eastern Europe. The Heinzel Group’s successful growth is based on the fulfilment of the highest customer demands with regard to quality and efficiency.
For enquiries please contact:
Alfred Heinzel
Heinzel Holding GmbH
Wagramer Straße 28–30
1223 Vienna
Austria
Phone +43-1-260 11-401
Fax +43-1-260 11-402
office@heinzel.com
www.heinzel.com
Jörg Bierlein
Europapier International AG
Autokaderstraße 86-96
1210 Vienna
Tel. +43-1-277 78-1167
Fax +43-1-277 78-1046
j.bierlein@europapier.at
www.europapier.com