Prime Label Group, a leading label manufacturer in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), has strengthened its position by acquiring a 100% stake in Grafoprint, a prominent Romanian printing business. As part of the private equity fund Innova/6 of the Innova Capital group, this marks Prime Label’s sixth acquisition in five years, underscoring its growth ambitions in the CEE region. This acquisition allows the Group to expand in the promising Romanian market while exceeding its sales target of EUR 100 million by the end of 2024.
Founded in 1991, Grafoprint was one of Romania’s first private printing companies and has remained a leading player in the industry. With over 30 years of experience, the company provides comprehensive label production services, from design to professional printing using top-quality materials. Specializing in both flexographic and digital printing, Grafoprint produces self-adhesive labels for leading FMCG brands in the cosmetics, household chemicals, and food & beverage sectors.
Prime Label’s latest acquisition is another step in its long-term growth strategy, which strengthens the Group’s position as a regional leader in label production. Entering the Romanian market – the second largest in Central and Eastern Europe – not only enhances the Group’s sales capabilities by cross-selling products manufactured in other facilities but also allows significant cost synergies to be realized.
“2024 is a milestone year for Prime Label. We’re set to surpass EUR 100 million in sales, joining the ranks of Europe’s largest label manufacturers. Since 2019 and the acquisition of the first company – the Poland-based Embe Press printing house, the Group has grown more than sevenfold. Geographical expansion through the Grafoprint takeover creates new development opportunities for us. We see Romania as a great potential market, although it is still underestimated. Intuition and market data tell us that it is a good investment direction. The Romanian economy is growing dynamically compared to other European countries, and the increasing direct investments of the Group’s current and potential clients in Romania show that it is worth being here. I am very excited about our development plans within this market,” says Arkadiusz Sapiecha, CEO of Prime Label.
“I believe that bringing Grafoprint into the Prime Label Group will yield substantial benefits. Being part of a larger network will strengthen its market position and enable purchasing synergies. We’re also eager to expand Grafoprint’s product range with new label types in which Prime Label excels, fostering a productive exchange of expertise. The sharing of know-how and best practices, supported by a cooperative atmosphere – which we prioritize – will drive company success and employee satisfaction,” adds Grzegorz Świderski, CFO of Prime Label.
“Today, Grafoprint begins a new chapter as part of Prime Label Group, marking our transition from a local business to a European player. This step is both a challenge and an opportunity, recognizing our team’s dedication and the trust of our investors. We are excited to leverage our expertise within a European network and look forward to a fruitful collaboration ahead,” – comments Octavian Tocaci, Managing Director of Grafoprint.
“We have been consistently developing the Prime Label portfolio for years and entering new markets in the region is a natural step for us towards further growth. We believe that close cooperation with the Grafoprint team and knowledge sharing will allow us to fully exploit the potential of the Group, especially in Romania. We have an exciting time ahead of us – on the one hand, we will be expanding our Prime Label and Grafoprint offerings, strengthening the sales network, and creating solutions for customers that perfectly match their needs. On the other hand, we will continue to make acquisitions in line with the long-term vision for the development of Prime Label,” says Michał Wojdyła, Partner at Innova Capital, who leads the transaction.
About Innova Capital
Innova Capital is an independent private equity adviser operating from Poland and investing in majority buyouts in mid-sized enterprises doing business in Central and Eastern Europe. Since its inception in 1994, Innova Capital has invested close to EUR 1.4 billion in almost 70 companies across 10 countries in the region. Innova was recognized by the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (PSIK) as PE Management Firm of the Year 2023 & 2024.
About Prime Label
Prime Label has five label printing companies in its portfolio: Chemes from Poznan (Poland) and EmbePress from Lublin (Poland) – specialising in flexo printing, LabelProfi – a Slovenian digital printing house, LabelPrint – an Estonian entity dedicated to the Baltic markets and Scandinavian clients, and the Polish printing company PEGWAN.
www.embepress.pl, www.chemes.eu, www.labelprofi.com, www.labelprint.ee, www.pegwan.com
About Grafoprint
Grafoprint is a Romanian company with more than 30 years of experience, specialising in the production of high quality self-adhesive labels and packaging materials. As one of the first privately owned printers in the country, Grafoprint offers a wide range of solutions for various industries, including FMCG, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and industrials. The company uses advanced flexographic and digital printing technologies, offering flexibility, vibrant colours and the ability to fully personalise labels. With a comprehensive approach that includes design, pre-press and colour management, Grafoprint helps clients build a strong brand in the retail market, attract consumer attention and add value to products on the shelf.
Advisors
Prime Label and Innova Capital have been assisted during the transaction by a team lead by Silviu Stratulat (Managing Partner and Head of M&A) and Raluca Gabor (Counsel) from Stratulat Albulescu Attorneys at Law for legal and Daniela Buhus from TS Partners for financial and tax due diligence.
The sellers of Grafoprint have been assisted by a team lead by Florin Cerna from BrinkThink Management as M&A and financial advisor. The legal assistance was provided to the sellers by a team of lawyers led by Stefan Mantea (Partner), which included Larisa Jurca (Senior Associate) and Otilia Mitu (Senior Associate), from Băncilă, Diaconu si Asociatii SPRL.
