Translink Corporate Finance acted as advisor to the shareholders of Royston Labels Limited, a UK based manufacturer of premium self-adhesive labels.

Established in 1992, the Company operates from a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Royston, United Kingdom.  Its customer base includes leading domestic and global consumer brands and contract manufacturers across sectors such as beauty & personal care, drinks, automotive and healthcare & pharmaceuticals.

The Autajon Group is a privately owned, international manufacturer of folding cartons, labels, set-up boxes and POS for various market sectors such as perfumes & cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, wine & spirits.  The France headquartered group has subsidiaries across 11 countries in Europe, the United States and Asia servicing the needs of small local companies as well as the most prestigious international brands.

The Translink team was led by Matt Scott and Hamish Morrison in the UK and included Translink colleagues from across 19 countries globally. Jacques-Henri Rieme and David Dhouahria provided support throughout the transaction from France.

Matt Scott, Partner at Translink in the UK, said “The acquisition of Royston Labels offers Autajon an accomplished business in the self-adhesive label market and adds to its UK presence following the acquisition of Simply Cartons in August 2023. The Royston manufacturing facility and well-invested asset base across both digital and flexographic printing provides a unique platform for future growth”.

Paul Clayton, founder of Royston Labels added “I first contacted Translink towards the end of 2022 as I was considering selling my business. From the very first meeting it was clear that the team at Translink really understood our product, our industry and the best potential targets for us to talk to.

As we went through the different stages of the sale, Translink went out of their way to ensure that we were well supported.  We were guided through a process that we had no experience of, and nothing was too much trouble.

Translink’s global reach was a great advantage in finding us suitable acquirers. I cannot recommend them highly enough”.

The transaction adds to Translink Corporate Finance’s experience in the sector.  Hamish Morrison said “Despite the underlying economic headwinds, we continue to see considerable consolidation across the label & packaging industry.  In the UK alone we have advised on 5 transactions in the sector since 2020. The sale of Royston adds to our expertise having previously closed cross-border transactions involving The Label Makers, Watermill Press and Corrugated Case Company”.