Initially scheduled for September 28, 29 and 30, 2020, the luxury goods packaging trade show has exceptionally moved to November 30, December 1 and 2, 2020.

Adapting and keeping pace with the recovery

Over the years, Luxe Pack Monaco has established itself on the international scene as the largest gathering of packaging suppliers selected for their ability to follow the briefs of the most demanding and creative brands. The scene of numerous launches each year, it is an ideal working platform for all brands, offering them large-scale demonstrations and technical insights to fuel their inspiration and provide them with cutting-edge industrialization solutions.

Affected this year by the Covid-19 crisis, many packaging manufacturers and luxury brands have seen their launch cycles turned upside down. That's why Luxe Pack has decided to support the profession and follow this shift to position itself on November 30, December 1 and 2, 2020 at the Grimaldi Forum. This new timing will enable the entire community to be in phase to promote the industry's economic recovery.

In so doing, the show will also benefit more widely from the reopening of borders.

An edition under the banner of sobriety and efficiency

In the post-covid economic climate that is affecting most companies in this industry, the organizers are proposing a sober edition: a line of simple, high-quality turnkey stands will be offered to exhibitors who wish to use them as an alternative to building their own traditional stands.

The 2020 vintage will be more studious and operational than ever: the organizers will make all the rooms of the Grimaldi Forum available to brands, who will thus be able to take advantage of their visit to organize working sessions with their manufacturers and partners in conditions of optimum confidentiality and comfort: briefs, demonstrations, project reviews...

Luxe Pack and its 470 selected exhibitors offer an inspiring traditional show and confidential meeting spaces: an ultra-efficient working platform for brands anxious to save precious time for their current and future developments.

In addition, the organizers are maintaining the exceptional measures previously announced, such as reduced room rates in most hotels.

A digital platform will complement the 3 days of physical trade fairs to boost exhibitors' visibility and contacts on a global scale. This platform will link the communities already created around the Monaco, New York, Los Angeles and Shanghai shows, considerably expanding the potential for exhibitor networking. It will also serve as an international sounding board for show content: launches, innovations, analyses, trends and expert interviews.

Strict sanitary measures

The organization and the Grimaldi Forum will be setting up a system that complies with the highest levels of hygiene and sanitary safety, from Nice airport to the show, to ensure a safe and serene experience. Thanks to all these initiatives, which are resolutely proactive and tailored to the current situation, Luxe Pack 2020 looks set to be a key event in accelerating the industry's recovery.

A supplier to luxury brands, the family-owned Verpack group, founded by Jean-Claude Viers in Paris in 1993, is completing a managerial and shareholder transition initiated four years ago. Stéphane Viers takes over the presidency of the group and the majority of voting rights in the holding company created for the occasion. Crédit Mutuel Equity becomes the reference minority shareholder with 25% of the capital, alongside the company's key managers. This LBO, advised by Pax Corporate Finance, will enable Verpack to boost its growth by pursuing its strategy of external growth. Verpack generated sales of over €42 million in 2019 and employs 450 people.

 One of France's leading manufacturers of high-end cardboard boxes and cases, Verpack serves the most prestigious customers in the cosmetics, perfume, leather goods, spirits and luxury goods industries. With four production sites in France and one in Tunisia, the company boasts substantial printing and finishing resources, while positioning itself on major issues of social and environmental responsibility, to support its customers in implementing more virtuous packaging solutions. This approach is part of an underlying trend that has seen many customers relocate their production to the Group's plants in recent years, benefiting from innovations and unrivalled levels of service and responsiveness.
" This operation marks a new era for our group, one of dynamic growth. It's a time for us to pool our expertise and resources in the service of French manufacturing, a welcome development for our customers. In this, ethics, quality, safety and, of course, the environment will be key values more than ever. "explains Stéphane Viers.

 Towards a new positioning

With the entry of Crédit Mutuel Equity, this transaction, advised by Pax Corporate Finance, aims to support the group's growth, its European expansion and future acquisitions. Verpack has built up its business mainly through successive acquisitions, with the purchase of Cartonnages Guillaume (Ile de France) in 2000, CLP Packaging (Burgundy) from the American group Chesapeake in 2006, and Korus Packaging (Bordeaux) in 2013. With the support of its new shareholder, the company intends to keep up the momentum. This operation also completes the move initiated by the group four years ago, to create a common brand and lead its various plants to standardize their processes.

The deal is supported by a moderate level of debt, mainly provided by the historic banks, notably BNP Paribas and Caisse d'Épargne Ile-de-France, co-arrangers, as well as Crédit du Nord and Société Générale. The financing includes a specific line designed to ensure reactivity in terms of acquisitions.

"Proud to accompany this leading player in premium packaging in its managerial transition to support its development, we were seduced by its fine French industrial facilities, the relevance of its business model, and its constant capacity to innovate in the service of a portfolio of prestigious customers, while being a forerunner in CSR issues. The group's critical size and strong market position make it ideally positioned for the external growth operations we are keen to support.add Jean-Marie Giannettini and Jean-Baptiste Champeau, Investment Directors at Crédit Mutuel Equity.