THE senior team at Leeds-based Fenton Packaging Solutions has completed a Management Buyout (MBO) of the company.
Ownership of the firm has passed from former MD Bob Clarke to sales development director Chris Warren, supply chain director David Wilson, and finance director Sharon Dakin, who are now joint managing partners.
“Over the last 18 months, Bob Clarke had very much stepped back from the day-to-day running of the company with a view to considering a number of options regarding the sale of the business and to plan for his semi-retirement,” explained Sharon Dakin. “After considering a number of selling options, the MBO option was viewed by Bob as the preferred route for his exit from the company.
“As an MBO team we are very pleased to assume responsibility and ownership of the company as we feel that our continued involvement provides both a balanced and stable management platform to support the business moving forward. We are also a known, committed and visible management team and as such have been able to positively contribute to the improvement of the company over the last two years.”
Last year, the business relocated to a 65,000 sqft site in Leeds and rebranded as Fenton Packaging Solutions. The company had invested over £1 million to streamline operations and put a new fleet on the road.
“We recognise that the most important element of any business is its people,” David Wilson added. “We currently employ just over 40 full-time staff members and we are now introducing a graduate programme.
“We have begun the process of becoming an accredited Investors in People organisation and are actively investing in the latest and most advanced software systems to better manage the business and that will attract young talent, which will help secure Fenton Packaging Solutions’ future.”
Fenton Packaging Solutions revealed that around half of the company’s product lines are made from ‘highly-recyclable’ metal and it is actively migrating customers to PCR plastic containers which contain a minimum of 30% recycled content.
“We are putting a lot of emphasis on bag-in-box packaging solutions,” Chris Warren said. “The weight and space-saving is an obvious advantage, but the fact that the whole packaging can be recycled where facilities exist is also hugely important.
“We continue to offer a consultative approach and, through innovation, help to steer our customers towards using the most sustainable packaging options for their businesses. Our latest investment in systems not only improves the customer experience, but also delivers major gains in carbon footprint reduction for our business and our clients.
“As we further invest in innovation and more sustainable packaging solutions, we are also planning to expand into international markets.”
