Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 24, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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International Paper's $7.2 billion acquisition of DS Smith gains EU approval with conditions to sell five plants in Europe to address competition concerns.
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S.-based International Paper secured EU clearance for its 5.8-billion-pound ($7.2 billion) acquisition of UK rival DS Smith with a pledge to sell assets to address competition concerns.
International Paper is seeking to boost its European presence in the paper and packaging sector with the deal amid consolidation in the industry.
The European Commission said the U.S. packaging company will divest five of its plants in Europe. These include three plants in France, one in Portugal and one in Spain.
Reuters exclusively reported on Jan. 21 that the EU antitrust enforcer would give conditional approval to the deal.
DS Smith, which provides packaging, paper and recycling services to companies including Amazon and Unilever, has operations in more than 30 countries.
($1 = 0.8114 pounds)
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta/Phil Blenkinsop)
The main topic is International Paper's acquisition of DS Smith and the EU's conditional approval of the deal.
The EU imposed conditions to address competition concerns, requiring International Paper to divest five plants in Europe.
The acquisition strengthens International Paper's presence in the European paper and packaging market.
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