International Paper confirmed agreement to acquire DS Smith

International Paper and DS Smith announced last Tuesday, April 16^th, that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended all-share combination, creating a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions.

The terms of the Combination value each DS Smith share at 415 pence per share, and will result in IP issuing 0.1285 shares for each DS Smith share, resulting in pro forma ownership of 66.3% for IP shareholders and 33.7%for DS Smith shareholders, implying a transaction value of approximately $9.9 billion. The Combination is expected to close by the fourth quarter of 2024.

« Combining with DS Smith is a logical next step in IP’s strategy to drive profitable growth by strengthening our global packaging business, » said Mark S. Sutton, Chairman and CEO of IP. « DS Smith is a leader in packaging solutions with an extensive reach across Europe, which complements IP’s capabilities and will accelerate growth through innovation and sustainability. We are confident this combination will drive significant value for our employees, customers, and shareholders. »

CEO of DS Smith, Miles Roberts, said, « The combination with IP is an attractive opportunity to create a truly international sustainable packaging solutions leader that is well positioned in attractive and growing markets across Europe and North America. It combines two focused and complementary businesses. DS Smith has grown significantly through a dedication to customers, focus on innovation, quality of packaging and high levels of service. In a dynamic sustainable packaging landscape, the combination will enhance our global proposition to customers, create opportunities for colleagues and drive value for shareholders who can remain fully invested in such an exciting business. »

This announce creates a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, focused on the attractive and growing North American and European regions. It establishes a differentiated corrugated packaging company with approximately 90% of revenue from sustainable fiber-based packaging and expands IP’s footprint and capabilities in the attractive European region.

It combines DS Smith’s extensive European sales of $9.4 billion4 in FY23 with IP’s European sales of $1.5 billion in FY23 and enhances IP’s business in North America’s eastern region with the addition of DS Smith’s complementary box network.

This integration of approximately 500-600k tons of containerboard from DS Smith into the IP mill system will increase the combined integration rate to approximately 90% and optimizes the combined network of mills, box plants, and supply chains.