Guala Closures to acquire South African aluminium closures business

Guala Closures has commenced acquisition of the metal closures division of MCG Industries, a manufacturer of aluminium closures in Cape Town, South Africa.

The acquisition is subject to the approval of the South African Competition Commission and is expected to be given in the last quarter of 2012. MCG Industries is reported to be the leading manufacturer of aluminium closures in South Africa for wine, spirits and other beverages.

“We have been looking to strengthen our presence in the fast-growing, sub-Saharan African market, the only one that was missing from our portfolio, for a while,” said Marco Giovannini, Chair and CEO of Guala Closures Group.

“This acquisition is a further step in the strategy of consolidating our core business - not only does it give us access to other African countries but it means we can add Stellenbosch to the Barossa and Napa Valleys in our list of Guala Closures locations.”

Guala Closures launched, what it claims is, Australia’s first screw-capped sparkling wine closure, Viiva, in May, along with glass manufacturers Owens-Illinois and winemakers De Bortoli.