DLA Piper has acted for an affiliate of Sun European Partners LLP on the acquisition of St. Neots Packaging Limited. The DLA Piper team was led by partner John Gallon, with support from senior associate Hitesh Tailor, associates James Duffy and Charlotte Sharples, and trainees Emma Smith and Heidi Thomas in the UK. A team from DLA Piper in Hong Kong also assisted, incorporating associate Winnie Lo and trainee Lemuella Ng, led by partner Polly Owen.

This transaction is the third acquisition by affiliates of Sun European Partners in the packaging sector that the DLA Piper team have worked on. Previous acquisitions include the acquisition of Paragon Print and Packaging in December 2012 and of Closures Limited in October 2013. St Neots, Paragon Print and Packaging and Closures Limited all sit within the global packaging group, Coveris.

John Gallon said: "I am delighted to have once again achieved a positive outcome for our longstanding client, Sun European Partners. The continued expansion demonstrates Sun's commitment to the packaging sector and we hope to work with them again in the near future."

Established in 1994, St. Neots is a leading manufacturer of cartonboard solutions for the food-to-go and convenience markets and supplies film-lined sandwich packaging, bespoke cartons and other consumer products to the UK’s major retail and foodservice customers. St Neots employs over 200 staff and has two facilities in Cambridgeshire and a sourcing office in Hong Kong.