The Carlyle Group has acquired Chesapeake, a large global supplier of paper-based packaging products and services, from Irving Place Capital and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. Capital for this investment will come from Carlyle Europe Partners III L.P., a €5.3 billion investment fund. Further terms were not disclosed.
 
Chesapeake, headquartered in Nottingham, UK, has 5,000 employees across 38 sites in nine countries, and provides paper-based leaflets, labels and cartons, primarily for the pharmaceutical, confectionery and premium drinks markets. Chesapeake had revenues of €580m in 2012.
 
Eric Kump, managing director Carlyle Europe Partners, said, “Chesapeake is a strong business focused on attractive growth markets.  The management team has delivered sustained growth and significantly strengthened the company in recent years.  We look forward to partnering with them to further develop the company’s international footprint and to invest in delivering industry leading products and services. We believe the combination of Carlyle’s global presence and network and the strength of the company’s existing footprint and customer relationships will help drive significant growth and new market opportunities in the coming years.”
 
Mike Cheetham, chief executive officer of Chesapeake, said, “We are delighted to have Carlyle working with us as we continue building on the strong reputation we have earned for our high quality products and services. Carlyle’s backing will support our aspirations to build upon our strong investments over the past three years as we further grow and develop our business. This collaboration will allow us to respond effectively to new business opportunities as we look to further align our business with our customers’ global requirements.”