Apax to acquire Gerresheimer's plastic packaging business and Centor

On 29 July 2026 Gerresheimer signed binding agreements to sell its global primary plastic packaging business (15 plants in nine countries) and its US subsidiary Centor to funds advised by Apax Partners; the two units are valued at about €1.5bn combined, generated around €570m in sales in 2025 and employ about 2,400 people, who transfer with them. The group wants to focus on drug delivery systems and glass packaging for injectable drugs and use the proceeds to cut debt. Centor is due to close by the end of financial year 2026 and the plastics business in the first half of financial year 2027 (Gerresheimer, EQS release, 29 Jul 2026; second source: DCAT Value Chain Insights, 6 Aug 2026). Update (8 Oct 2026): The European Commission cleared the acquisition of the primary plastic packaging business unconditionally under the simplified procedure (case M.12602; European Commission, 8 Oct 2026).