Fri, 03 Oct 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
PFF Group, a West Yorkshire-headquartered manufacturer of sustainable, recyclable rigid plastic food-grade packaging, has been acquired out of administration in a pre-pack deal that secures 239 jobs.
Operating from headquarters in Keighley, West Yorkshire and an innovation centre in Sedgefield, Stockton-on-Tees, the group had historically traded well, generating turnover of close to £36 million in the year ending January 31 2024.
However, the group had increasingly been faced with inflationary pressures and soft consumer demand, which have been seen across the wider packaging industry, affecting its ability to maintain working capital.
Despite launching an accelerated M&A process, a solvent solution could not be found, forcing directors to take steps to appoint administrators. Howard Smith and Richard Harrison of Interpath Advisory were subsequently appointed as joint administrators of PFF Packaging Limited, PFF Packaging (North East) Limited and PFF Packaging Group Limited on October 1 2025.
Immediately upon their appointment, the joint administrators secured a sale of the business to packaging group Coppice Alupack Limited, in a transaction that sees all 239 staff transfer to the buyer.
Headquartered in Bridgend, Coppice supplies packaging to the food manufacturing, processing and baking markets, as well as the wholesale, institutional catering and non-food industries. The acquisition of PFF Group provides Coppice with a platform to further grow its product range, boost its innovation capabilities and offer greater flexibility to customers.
Howard Smith, managing director and joint administrator, said: "PFF has been one of the largest independent players in the UK packaging industry. However, businesses across the sector have felt significant pressure after such a prolonged period of high input costs and weak demand from key consumer markets."
"This transaction secures a considerable number of jobs in the sector and brings PFF into the Coppice group, reflecting continued consolidation in UK packaging.”
PFF Group Managing Director Rob Atkin said that Coppice had “shown remarkable organic and acquisitive growth in recent years” and said that the deal would “create new collaboration and innovation opportunities”.
Coppice Group Chief Executive Derek Nixon said: “This acquisition marks a significant milestone for us as a business and reinforces our commitment to driving sustainability in the packaging sector. PFF's portfolio of packaging solutions, particularly in the food and healthcare sectors, technical expertise, and customer relationships are highly complementary to our business”.
In its accounts for the year to January 31 2024, PFF Group’s fixed assets were valued at approximately £12 million and current assets at £10.3 million, with net assets coming to around £2.1 million.
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