Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
Aspall (www.aspall.co.uk), the Suffolk-based UK cider-maker, is to export its award-winning products to Russia, America, Japan and Europe using new lightweight, recyclable beverage containers made by Petainer (www.petainer.com), the specialist plastics packaging technology business.
Petainer Kegs have been chosen because they are environmentally-friendly and less expensive than conventional metal kegs.
Aspall produces a range of high quality apple juice, ciders and vinegars. It is the first cider producer to use the innovative, low-cost kegs which offer substantial benefits both to brewers and to end-users.
Posted in News | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Next Wave Partners are delighted to announce that Simply Zesty, Ireland’s leading social media agency, part of the SPA Future Thinking Group (a Next Wave portfolio company) has been sold to UTV PLC for up to $8 million (representing up to c.8x investment) 20 months after our investment and only c. 2 years since its establishment. Our investment, via our portfolio company SPA Future Thinking, was the first and only external funding round, and Next Wave helped grow the business from a team of 3 up to 22 employees, with a large and growing international blue chip client roster. We introduced Ken Fitzpatrick as CEO, who worked closely with Simply Zesty’s founders to steer their growth and successful exit. During the course of our involvement, revenue grew 186% per annum and profits (EBITDA) grew 1,104%, year on year. SPA Future Thinking will re-invest its proceeds into its core business, which has grown with Next Wave’s guidance to become the UK’s largest private market research group.
Recent press about the deal includes:
http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/social-media-agency-is-acquired-disclaimer-its-us/
http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/utv-agrees-8m-new-media-deal-186251.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17271607
Next Wave’s team of 7 experienced investment professionals are actively investing in fast growing, market leading service sector businesses.
Posted in News | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
Dean joined NWP in February 2012 and has over 16 years of private equity, corporate venturing and strategy consulting experience. At Next Wave, Dean is sourcing and executing new investments as well as on-going portfolio company management. Dean joined NWP from Primary Capital where he gained more than 7 years of private equity investment experience. He was appointed to Primary’s main Board in 2007 and was responsible for proprietary deal origination, supporting the transaction and execution process and on-going portfolio management. Prior to this Dean spent 9 years with Accenture working in Australia, US and South Korea before moving to London in 2001. Dean worked in the venture capital, corporate venturing and strategy consulting divisions of Accenture, covering a variety of sectors including financial services, healthcare and consumer goods before focussing on investments in the communications and high-tech sectors.
Email: dm@nextwavepartners.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 203 005 7676
Posted in News | Comments Off
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer (www.petainer.com) has developed its ‘greenest ever’ refillable bottle – further improving the sustainability of what is already one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of beverage packaging.
The new bottle is manufactured using more than 25 per cent post-consumer ‘one-way’ recycled PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) plastic but has the same performance characteristics as a refillable bottle made entirely from virgin material.
Nigel Pritchard, group chief executive of Petainer, said: “This is a very exciting development. Refillable bottles are already the beverage packing system with one of the lowest environmental footprints. This massive advance in the use of recycled material makes refillable bottles even more ‘eco-nomic’.
“They are ‘eco-friendly’ because they use up to 90 per cent less virgin material per filling. This performance is improved even further by the introduction of post-consumer recyclate which means that the bottles now require less energy and other resources to manufacture.
“They are also economic in the traditional sense because the environmental benefits translate into lower costs. As the cost of PET resins inexorably increases, the economics of refillable bottles using recycled material become even more compelling.
“We believe these new containers have a good claim to be considered one of the world’s most sustainable forms of beverage packaging. This will become even more the case as commodity resources become scarcer, costs rise and environmental impacts come more to the fore.”
Petainer is now working with bottled water companies, carbonated drinks producers and brewers across Europe to put its new ‘greener’ refillable bottles into use.
Research has demonstrated that refillable bottles – which are returned to the retailer by the consumer once emptied, then sent to the beverage manufacturer for washing and refilling – have a lower carbon footprint than one-way bottles that are thrown away after use. This is the case even if one-way bottles are recovered for materials recycling.
Petainer, which manufactures both refillable and one-way bottles in PET, is a leader in the use of recycled materials in both types of bottle. It has demonstrated that one-way bottles can be manufactured from 100 per cent recycled material.
Petainer’s latest developments in manufacturing technology allow more than 25 per cent of post-consumer waste from used PET bottles to be included in refillable bottles. The company is now working on improving the use of post-consumer recyclate even further.
The ‘greener’ bottle’s performance is identical to the performance of conventional refillable bottles. It gives the same number of ‘round trips’, has the same top-load strength which allows it to be stacked in the same way as other refillable bottles, and provides the same level of retention of CO2 in carbonated soft drinks.
The technology can be applied both to bottles manufactured in Petainer’s own plants in Sweden and the Czech Republic and also to bottles blown from Petainer-supplied preforms.
Nigel Pritchard added: “This bottle-to-bottle recycling, added to the existing environmental and economic benefits of refillable bottles, makes a strong case for fillers and brewers to consider switching to refillable bottles. We are already seeing a number of customers and countries considering the introduction of refillables.”
A company using one-way bottles can spend around four to five times as much on packaging as a company that bottles the same quantity of beverage in refillable bottles, which it needs to replace only once in every 20 trips. The total PET used per filling is 90 per cent lower for the refillable container, which is improved even further with this development in the use of post-consumer recyclate.
Posted in News | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
Independent Postal operator Secured Mail has today acquired the Downstream Access (DSA) Division of DHL Global Mail UK Ltd. The agreement is subject to contract.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, increases Secured Mail’s share of the market and confirms its status as one of the major players in the UK postal sector.
The acquisition includes a mail depot in Crick, Northamptonshire, and 55 staff.
Existing clients of DHL Global Mail UK’s DSA unit include Debenhams, Mothercare and National Australia Group.
Mark Bigley, managing director of Secured Mail, said: “This is a significant acquisition for Secured Mail that clearly signals our ambitions for the future.
“DHL Global Mail UK’s network and national coverage in the Downstream Access market, allied to Secured Mail’s existing services and client-base, creates a significant player in the postal market and cements our position in the marketplace.
“This strategic acquisition offers existing and future customers access to the most transparent and visible postal operator in the UK.”
Paul Carvell, chairman of Secured Mail, said: “The deal reflects our strategy of organic growth combined with acquisitions that complement our business model. Teaming up with DHL Global Mail offers significant added value benefits to our customers and improves our offering to bring in yet more new business.”
Tom Kilroy, sales and business development director of Secured Mail said: “There are a number of synergies between both organisations. DHL Global Mail has an excellent team and a loyal client base and this deal provides a long-term commitment to both. We look forward to continuing our incredible growth and increased market presence in partnership with our customers.”
Secured Mail was founded in 2006 and earlier this month was ranked second on the Sunday Times Fast Track, the list of the UK’s Top 100 fastest-growing private companies. Turnover in 2011 was £48million.
Secured Mail’s head office is in Warrington, with facilities in Dartford, Kent. The company employs 150 and clients include Amazon, Centrica and Southern Water.
Jonathan Brod, Partner at Next Wave said, “We are delighted to have supported Secured Mail in making such a transformational acquisition so soon after our investment. We are looking forward to working with the team to make the integration of the DHL business a great success.”
Posted in News | Comments Off
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Congratulations to the Secured Mail team for ranking second in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 listing, published 4 December 2011!
An extract from Fast Track reads: “With the business’s growing reputation and high client retention, sales, under founder Mark Bigley, grew 233% a year, from £884,000 in 2007 to £32.6m in 2010. In May, private-equity firm Next Wave Partners invested an undisclosed amount for a 40% stake.”
The full article is available at www.fasttrack.co.uk
Posted in News | Comments Off
Friday, November 25th, 2011
Czech Republic-based Nachod Brewery is supplying its Primátor range of beer in recyclable PET kegs from Petainer.
The brewery says it chose the Petainer keg partly because of its low weight. A full 20 litre Petainer Keg weighs less than 21 kg, making it easy to handle, says the company. Another advantage is the keg’s compact size, it adds.
Nachod supplies to beer to markets including Hong Kong, Italy and Russia.
Earlier this month, Petainer announced that Pivovarinny Zavod Samko (Samko), a brewery in central Russia, is also supplying beer in its recyclable kegs.
Petainer kegs come in four sizes – 15, 20, 30 and 40 litres – and have a lower environmental impact than other kegs on the market, says the company.
Soure: http://www.europeanplasticsnews.com
Posted in News | Comments Off
Friday, November 25th, 2011
Specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer (www.petainer.com) and contract packer Pomona Group (www.pomonagroup.eu) are to develop a contract beverage packing hub which will exclusively use the Petainer ‘Classic’ family of PET kegs.
The deal was announced following Petainer’s participation in the Brau Beviale exhibition in Germany at the start of November.
A dedicated, fully automated line which is designed to blow, fill and pack the complete range of Petainer Classic ‘one-way’ kegs will be installed at the Pomona facility in Hessische Oldendorf in Germany. The facility will become operational during the second quarter of 2012.
The Petainer-Pomona full service hub will have the capacity to produce and fill 1.5 million Petainer Kegs each year and will provide a unique service to Europe’s beverage manufacturers. The efficiency of the fully automated line will create the most economic one-way keg operation in Europe.
Marius Müller, CEO of the Pomona Group, said: “This highly automated filling line using Petainer Kegs is a remarkable and innovative step for the whole beverage industry. It opens new markets and fits well into our wide range of co-packing services.”
Posted in News | Comments Off
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
The Analytics Hub launches to offer statistical expertise to the research industry
13th September 2011
Market research group SPA Future Thinking has launched The Analytics Hub, a company offering data and statistical expertise for clients ranging from small market research agencies through to branding shops.
The Analytics Hub offers a full range of analytic methodologies, including segmentation, statistical modelling, dashboard and visualisation, conjoint and discrete choice analysis as well as forecasting and data mining, as part of its service.
Dan Hillyard, is heading up a four-strong team as managing director of the new entity.
‘Our ethos for The Analytics Hub is to provide top-quality statistical and analytical expertise while working in a highly consultative and supportive way,’ said Hillyard. ‘Analytic methodologies are often challenging, and we’ll make it easy for clients to access high-end analytics to generate insights and solve problems.
‘Our team has solid credentials, with 40 years’ combined experience working on a wide range of research, marketing data and forecasting projects,’ said Hillyard.
Jon Priest, CEO of SPA Future Thinking, added: ‘We’ve got an invaluable analytic resource at SPA Future Thinking, and by launching The Analytics Hub as an autonomous company, we’re making that expertise more widely available and recognising the growing importance of analytics for insight and marketing.’
The Analytics Hub opens its doors for business on Wednesday 14th September 2011. For a full range of methodologies and more information on the service, visit www.theanalyticshub.com or contact Dan Hillyard on +44 (0)1865 336 400.
Posted in News | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
Agencies were invited to pitch for two lots, A and B, broadly split in the scale of the projects they might be called on to carry out.
GfK NOP, ICM Research, Ipsos Mori, Kantar Media, Simpson Carpenter and SPA Future Thinking qualified under Lot A, which covers a wide range of work up to an including large-scale continuing fieldwork.
The remaining 31 agencies appointed under Lot B, the specialist offering, are:
| 2CV |
Beaufort Research |
Dipsticks Research |
| Discovery Research |
EdComs |
eDigital Research |
| Essential Research |
Flamingo |
Hall & Partners Europe |
| Illuminas |
Jigsaw Research |
MTM London |
| NatCen |
Optimisa Research |
Oxygen Brand Consulting |
| Panter Research |
Pinto and Price Associates |
Populus |
| Razor Research |
Research Now |
Sherbert Research |
| Sparkler |
Terrington & Company |
The Knowledge Agency |
| The Mindful Group (Blinc) |
Truth Consulting |
Tuned In Research |
| TWResearch |
Voodoo Research |
What People Want |
| YouGov |
|
|
James Holden, head of audiences for the public broadcaster, said: “The BBC conducts a variety of research projects each year to understand what our audiences want and value, and the insights gained are an essential part of how we create quality content. These projects vary in scale, audience focus and methodology and we knew we would need a wide range of skills and expertise to fulfil our requirements.
“The sheer number of high-quality proposals from agencies wanting to work with the BBC is a testament to the health of the industry in the UK. As a result, we are very happy indeed with the calibre of agencies who we have appointed to our final roster.”
Re-tendering of the roster began in November. The new roster will be in place for two years, with an option to extend by a further two years.
Posted in News | Comments Off
