With effect from 1st January 2015, the specialist protective packaging company Storopack has acquired 100 per cent of the shares in the Italian company Alternative 1999 s.r.l. Founded in 1999, Alternative has been Storopack’s Italian partner since then for the sales of Paperplus paper padding and Airplus air cushions, adding Foamplus foam padding in 2008. This step gives Storopack its own subsidiary in the Italian market, thus improving accessibility to local customers for protective packaging. As part of the integration the company will also be renamed Storopack Italia s.r.l. within the coming weeks.

The company headquarters, office and service operations are located in Cento, near Bologna. In 2014, Alternative had total sales of almost six million euros. Storopack expects a further increase in sales for the current year.

Company founder, Andrea Salustro, has until now had a majority stake in the company, and has successfully led it since 1999. He will support Storopack in integrating Alternative into the group, and will be responsible for activities in Italy.

“The most important goal of the acquisition is to increase our market share in protective packaging solutions with Airplus, Paperplus and Foamplus”, explained Birger Johnsen, President of Storopack’s Packaging Division EMEA. “The enhanced presence, together with our well-established sales team, lays the foundation for further growth and ensures we have a good market position as a supplier of protective packaging and system solutions right across Italy.”

Storopack is a worldwide group of companies headquartered in Metzingen, Germany. The family company was founded in 1874. The packaging division is today represented by locations in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Its products are available in more than 40 countries through distributors.