March 7th, 2011
Specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer (http://www.petainer.com/) has launched an environmentally-friendly, economical, alternative to metal kegs for draught beverages.
It is a lightweight beverage container manufactured in recyclable PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) which is designed for one-way use. The keg is available with one-way, low cost fittings which allow it to be connected to existing tapping systems for draught beer.
Petainer Kegs, unlike other plastic variants and metal kegs, can be supplied either complete and ready for filling or as ‘preforms’ that can be blown near the point of use. This second option provides further environmental and economic benefits.
Petainer Kegs are available in 15, 20, 30 and 40 litre sizes – all with Micro Matic compatible fittings.
Nigel Pritchard, chief executive officer of Petainer, said: “The Petainer Keg offers a significant breakthrough in the sales and marketing of volume beer, wine and other beverages. It opens up new channels and markets and provides a step change in environmental performance – as well as reducing costs and improving cash flow.”
The benefits of Petainer Kegs compared with metal kegs include lower total costs of ownership, reduced environmental impact, new market opportunities and easier response to short-term peaks and troughs in demand.
There are potentially large savings in capital employed by eliminating the need to maintain a ‘fleet’ of metal kegs. Eliminating the fleet can release the substantial sums tied up in this ‘asset’ and end the constant expenditure on replacing damaged, lost or stolen kegs. In addition there is no need to maintain expensive tracking systems.
Key environmental benefits of Petainer Kegs include low material usage, compared to returnable metal kegs and other one-way kegs, and a lightweight construction which reduces supply chain environmental impacts. 20-30 per cent more liquid can be transported on a single vehicle using the 20 litre Petainer Keg than with a standard metal keg.
Petainer Kegs are fully and easily recyclable, meeting all the essential requirements covered by EU regulations, including suitability for both mechanical and ‘energy from waste’ recycling.
Using Petainer Kegs does not just offer substantial benefits to breweries and fillers – there are real benefits to end users as well. One of the biggest benefits is in the reduced storage space needed by the PET kegs. Securely storing empty metal kegs to prevent them being stolen before they are collected is a problem in many outlets. Petainer Kegs, once de-pressurised, can be easily crushed once they are empty and then put into the recycling bin with other recyclable plastics containers.
—
For PR contact: http://www.smye-holland.com/SmyeHolland_NewsDetail.aspx?PressRelease=2953
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
March 4th, 2011
Television viewers are happy to see branded products featured in programmes – as long as the programme comes first, according to new research released on the 25th February 2011.
The findings, released ahead of last Monday’s lifting of the UK ban on product placement, reveal audiences are already accustomed to the concept and even believe it can make shows more realistic. In fact, they hope the practice will provide them with a less intrusive form of advertising as well as the ability to see products in action.
The qualitative study, carried out by SPA Future Thinking on behalf of Channel 4, involved a total of 16 focus workshops and home observation tests to track viewer reaction to product placement. The participants ranged from 16 to 44 years in age.
In the workshop the audience was shown a 10-minute montage of clips from different programming genres all chosen to showcase how brands are currently featured in UK programming (brands cannot currently be given ‘undue prominence’ – so only incidental inclusion is acceptable). They were then shown clips of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks which had been altered with real brands digitally inserted into the footage to give viewers their first ‘real-life’ experience of how product placement might feel.
Reactions to the inserted brands were largely positive, with viewers optimistic about the realism that judiciously placed products could bring to shows. They also felt that the added revenue could contribute to improved programme-making. However, they cautioned over inappropriate placement and overreliance on a single brand.
Reactions included:
“Product placement would feel appropriate within a soap, as it’s all about real life, but if I saw a Coke can while watching Lost it would ruin the illusion.”
“The products need to be a natural fit with the show and the character, otherwise it would feel very cynical.”
“It could spoil the show if you felt one brand was featured too heavily. The show would lose integrity as it would resemble one long ad.”
“If it provides revenue for TV channels and enables them to make good shows or stop making rubbish then product placement is a good thing.”
Jon Priest, CEO at SPA Future Thinking, said: ‘Viewers aren’t naive and they recognise that they’ve been exposed to product placement since the early 90s in American shows and films. What’s interesting is that they see product placement as a natural progression from traditional advertising. They feel it’s already happening and are unfazed by it.’
However, viewers were clear that product placement must be responsible and credible. It should not be too overt or obtrusive, and it should not impact or lead content.
But it was clear that product placement is predominantly welcomed as an advertising medium, with some viewers hoping that the extra revenue generated from it will be reinvested to offer better and more varied programming.
From last Monday, product placement will be allowed in dramas, soaps, entertainment and sports programmes, but will be banned from news and children’s programmes and from UK-produced current affairs, consumer affairs and religious programmes.
David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship, placement and funded content at Channel 4, said: “The overall message from our viewers is that they actively welcome Product Placement while trusting us to make it work for both them and advertisers”.
—ENDS—
For further information please contact John Whittaker at SPA Future Thinking john.whittaker@spafuturethinking.com
T: +44 (0)1865 336 400
Journalist enquiries should be directed to Bhavna Mistry or Claire Foss at Velvet PR
bhavna@velvetpr.biz Claire@velvetpr.biz
T: +44 (0)20 8996 1802
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
March 4th, 2011
With another exciting milestone in the launch of the new website: www.chapco.com, Chapco is successfully integrating its recent acquisitions and developing a single brand for all the services they deliver.
For further information contact Matthew Watson 01455 205700, matthew.watson@chapco.com or visit the website www.chapco.com
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
February 7th, 2011
Chapco Group Limited Acquires LAUK Lighting Limited
Chapco Group Limited (“Chapco”), a leading provider of Facilities Management, Telecommunications, IT Services and Project Delivery solutions has today announced the acquisition of LAUK Lighting Limited (“LAUK”), a leading independent provider of lighting solutions, products and services. The acquisition was supported by Chapco’s growth capital private equity investors, Next Wave Partners.
LAUK, which will be rebranded as “Chapco Lighting”, is one of the UK’s leading independent distributors of indoor and outdoor architectural lighting products, lamps and lighting components. Established in 1993, LAUK’s 18 year heritage in providing a concept to completion approach to wide ranging customer requirements has required continuous expansion of products, design and installation services. LAUK manufactures stocks and markets over 3,000 branded and private label products from its Staffordshire distribution centre to a broad portfolio of corporate clients.
The acquisition sees Robert Stone, Managing Director of LAUK join the Chapco Board as Business Development Director. LAUK’s Bruce Robinson will continue as head of Chapco Lighting.
Chapco’s CEO, Richard Chapman said, “We are really excited by the acquisition of LAUK. The staff in both organisations share the same values and ethos and the management teams are really looking forward to working together. This acquisition not only adds to our in-house capability but it is directly aligned to our Facilities Management business.”
Robert Stone Managing Director of LAUK commented, “As part of Chapco we enter a new, exciting and challenging phase of LAUK’s evolution and development. The diversity of Chapco, combined with its dramatic growth in volume and service expansion attracted Bruce and I; as we feel that it is well suited to implement ambitious plans that position Chapco as a UK market leader within the Facilities Management sector. We look forward to contributing to the growth of the business and meeting the exiting opportunities that lie ahead.”
Alan Curtis, Chapco Chairman, says “This acquisition continues with our goal of expanding our Blue Chip client base and enlarging our in-house delivery capability both through acquisition and organic growth, I am looking forward to working with our new colleagues”.
For further information contact Matthew Watson 01455 205700, matthew.watson@chapco.com or visit our websites www.chapco.com, www.laukgroup.com
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
January 11th, 2011
Next Wave Partners LLP (“Next Wave”), a UK based private equity fund manager focused on investing growth capital in the Northern European SME market, is pleased to announce the successful closing of its second fund, an innovatively structured parallel partnership formed to invest alongside its existing fund, raised in 2007. As a result of the closing, Next Wave has increased its Funds Under Management from £24 million to £51 million and is actively looking to make new investments.
The fundraising, which only commenced in September 2010, was well received by existing and new investors and exceeded its target. The £27 million of new commitments were raised from diverse sources including existing investors following on, institutional investors, large family offices and high net worth individuals.
Next Wave intends to continue its successful strategy of making £2-10 million equity investments in profitable, growing businesses where its Partners’ operational experience can make a real impact. Next Wave will also continue to augment their experienced team. The sector focus includes business, consumer and environmental services.
Jonathan Brod, Founding Partner of Next Wave, said “We are delighted to have more than doubled the size of our funds under management, exceeding our fundraising target, in a short three month fundraising period. This has been made possible by the strong support of our existing investor base and an impressive roster of new institutional investors”.
Stephen Walls, Partner said “The success of this fundraising reflects the strong performance of our portfolio, their management and employees, and the added value our team bring to each investment we make.”
About Next Wave Partners LLP:
Next Wave was founded in 2002 and raised its first external fund in 2007. It has over £50 million funds under management and invests between £2 million and £10 million per company in the business, consumer and environmental services sectors. Its portfolio includes Petainer, a European sustainable packaging manufacturer; Chapco, a property services and outsourcing firm; SPA Future Thinking, a market research agency; ITI, a renewable energy company and Crendo, a Swedish facilities management firm.
Contacts: Jonathan Brod (+ 44 0203 005 7544) and Stephen Walls (+ 44 0203 005 7542)
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
October 28th, 2010
Crendo has been ranked as one of Sweden’s top 50 “super-companies” and was the only facilities management or property services company to make the grade. The survey and analysis was done by PAR, which has ranked all Swedish companies using six key criteria including sales growth, profitability and return on capital.
“With the Super-company survey, we hope to inspire businesses all over Sweden to become even better by showing what super companies have done to get there. The list should also be a gold mine for venture capitalists looking for new and interesting companies to invest in” says Tore Thallaug, president of PAR in a statement.
“Super companies work smarter than others and one of the most important parameters are the long-term growth. The companies that can simultaneously show long-term sales growth, consistent profitability, and sustainable resource management and a good financial strategy have a good chance to reach the super-corporate status”.
For full list http://www.par.se/sv/superforetagen_par_ab/Hela-listan-med-Superforetag/
As published in local press: http://hallandsposten.se/ekonomi/1.1004715-tolv-superforetag-i-halland
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
October 18th, 2010
Petainer acquires Rostiprimpac
Petainer UK Holdings Limited is pleased to announce the conditional acquisition of Rostiprimpac AB and Rostiprimpac Verpackungen GmbH, PET containers business based in Norrkoping Sweden and Leinefelde in Germany , from A.P. Moller Maersk, subject to Norwegian regulatory approval.
Petainer UK Holdings Limited has plants in Lidkoping Sweden and AS in the Czech Republic and is owned by a combination of the senior management and growth capital investors Next Wave Partners LLP, WHEB Venture Partners LLP and KBC Private Equity.
Commenting on the transaction the Group Chief Executive, Nigel Pritchard, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity to build on the undoubted strengths of the Petainer businesses for operational excellence, service and quality. Our future growth strategy is based on investing in innovation and new product and service development and in providing the continuous improvement and excellence that our customers have come to expect.
“This proposed combination will build on each other’s strengths and reinforce our strategic focus on innovation and new product and service development and will enable diversification into new market segments.”
Stephen Walls, partner of Next Wave and Chairman of Petainer, said: “This move represents a further exciting step in the Board’s ambitions to create a strong value added PET group with a significant emphasis on innovation, quality and high customer support levels. We look forward to welcoming the Rostiprimpac customers, suppliers and employees to the group.”
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
October 8th, 2010
SPA and Future Thinking open Paris office
Newly merged agencies, SPA and Future Thinking, have expanded into Europe with the appointment of Adeline Baret to head the newly opened French office, based in Paris.
As head of FMCG research, Europe, Baret has impressive credentials, having spent a decade in senior positions at Kraft Foods France, and a further nine years at Numsight, an independent market research agency in France, where she has been working with clients across Europe, including Russia and Turkey.
The opening follows the merger, in September, of SPA and Future Thinking (formerly The Oxford Research Agency, or TORA) to form an international agency with a £13m+ turnover.
“Adeline brings our clients a huge wealth of experience in sensory testing and product optimization, and she is already working on specific engagements for us in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain,” said Jon Priest, CEO.
“France is a great market for NPD – and very different in terms of things such as eating and drinking culture from the UK. This makes the French market so exciting from a new product development point of view. Adeline’s arrival makes us even better suited to help our clients who need our expertise in Europe. Coupled with the recent opening of the US office, our international plans are now well underway and starting to produce results”.
For further information on our French office and European offering please contact Adeline Baret on +33(0)1 73 02 82 03 or at adeline.baret@futurethinking.com:
Future Thinking
117 avenue Victor Hugo
92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
France
t. +33(0)1 73 02 82 03
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
September 7th, 2010
Petainer wins new business with Kickup
Specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer (www.petainer.com) has won a contract to supply recyclable PET bottles to brand owner Winnington, the company behind KickUp (http://kickup.se/sv/products) drinks.
Petainer’s plant at Lidköping in Sweden is to manufacture 33 centilitre bottles – opaque white for KickUp energy drinks and transparent green for KickUp ‘functional water’. They will be delivered to Winnington’s plant in Borås for filling.
Petainer is focussed on sustainable technologies. It aims to support brand owners in their drive to lower their carbon footprint by offering consumers an ecological packaging alternative while also supporting brands with packaging that boosts sales.
PET can have a significantly lower ‘carbon footprint’ than equivalent glass packaging, generating up to 77 per cent less greenhouse gases and using up to 58 per cent less energy. For drinks such as KickUp that may be consumed away from home – at the gym, for example, or whilst running or cycling – PET also offers benefits in terms of reduced weight and resistance to breakage.
Designers and technologists at Petainer have worked closely with Winnington to refine the KickUp bottle design. This collaboration has developed a container which is easier to produce than the company’s previous bottle yet which gives a striking ‘on shelf’ presence to promote the brand in retail outlets.
Richard Svensson, operations manager at Winnington, said: “Petainer was able to re-engineer the bottle design to ensure we consistently get a high quality recyclable container which reflects the brand identity.”
END
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
September 5th, 2010
SPA and Future Thinking merge to become top market research consultancy
Market research consultancies SPA and Future Thinking, formerly known as The Oxford Research Agency (TORA), announced today that their businesses have merged.
The newly formed agency will boast a £13m+ turnover and an international network of offices in London, Paris, New York and Oxford. It will rank as one of the UK’s top market research agencies with a headcount of over 100.
As part of the integration process, a single company brand will be developed with a new management board made up of SPA and Future Thinking personnel. The new combined entity will be run by Jon Priest as Group CEO.
The merger makes the most of SPA and Future Thinking’s complementary areas of expertise. For example, for FMCG clients – Future Thinking specialises in pre-launch research (e.g. new product development and simulated test market research and forecasting), while SPA specialises in post launch research (e.g. brand and advertising tracking, sponsorship research and broader qualitative brand/category studies). There are also opportunities for dual skills to be utilised in customer satisfaction studies and the media industry.
The deal has been funded by growth capital private equity investor Next Wave Partners, which already has a 60 per cent holding in Future Thinking. Each agency will have a 20 per cent shareholding in the combined business, with the rest held by Next Wave Partners. SPA was advised on the transaction by Green Square Partners.
Jon Priest explains: “SPA and Future Thinking have highly complementary offerings. By coming together we have the opportunity to create a true market research powerhouse, providing clients with a broader range of services and superb career opportunities for our people both in the UK and overseas. Chris Sinclair, CEO of Future Thinking, will be leaving to pursue new interests and the group wishes him well in the future. The rest of the senior management team at SPA and Future Thinking remain in place to help drive the new entity forward. ”
Jonathan Brod, partner at Next Wave Partners, adds: “Next Wave is delighted to be increasing our investment in the market research industry through the purchase of SPA and its merger with our existing portfolio company, Future Thinking, previously known as The Oxford Research Agency (TORA).
“Future Thinking and SPA are highly complementary businesses. Both are exceptionally well regarded with unparalleled client rosters in their respective sectors of FMCG, media and customer experience. We look forward to sharing best practice between both companies and working with the team to grow their combined presence in their vibrant, global markets.
“The merged group will benefit from a substantial market presence in the UK and have greater resources to provide exceptional levels of client service internationally.”
ENDS
Contact:
Jo Sensini/ Claire Foss, Velvet PR: 020 8996 1800/1804 or 07710 316759/07795 112 127 jo@velvetpr.biz / claire@velvetpr.biz
About SPA
SPA is one of the larger full service independent market research companies in the UK offering qualitative and quantitative research in the UK and internationally. It employs circa 50 people and is based in London.
Since its inception in 1994, SPA has developed genuine expertise in a range of industry sectors. From its original roots in media and kids’ research, the company has added shopper/retail, fmcg, women’s interest, emerging media and technology, online audiences, magazine publishing, broadcast sponsorship, leisure and lifestyle. More broadly, SPA is a true expert in audiences, the way they think and feel.
SPA works with household names including BSkyB, T-Mobile, BBC, New Look, McDonalds, Dixons Stores Group and The Bodyshop. Each year it produces the high profile EIAA (European Interactive Advertising Association) Mediascope Survey which examines online and offline media consumption and behaviour.
For more information please visit www.spa-mr.com
About Future Thinking (formerly The Oxford Research Agency)
Future Thinking became the new name for The Oxford Research Agency (TORA) in July 2010. Future Thinking is a specialist FMCG and customer experience market research company with offices in the UK, USA and France.
Future Thinking uses innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies to help companies to launch successful new products into the marketplace. Future Thinking is one of the few market research firms able to support clients through the entire product development process, from concept screening, through to packaging design, and pricing to the accurate prediction of the product’s marketplace success, and to be able to do this across the world.
Future Thinking tests thousands of new ideas for its clients every year, helping them to launch award winning products that have success rates four times the industry average. Future Thinking’s customer experience division helps some of the UK’s largest companies understand the factors driving customer satisfaction and how these can be used to improve repeat business.
Posted in
News |
Comments Off
