Consumer preference to underpin glass growth, says Ardagh

The growth of Ardagh Group has been nothing short of remarkable over the past decade thanks mainly to a dynamic acquisition strategy that has seen sales soar more than ten-fold.

Its recent takeover of Dutch packaging outfit Impress was not just its biggest buyout yet but also saw the company move into the metal packaging sector for the first time.

FoodProductionDaily.com talked to Ardagh’s Sharon Crayton at Interpack 2011 to find out what the future holds for the company

The group head of marketing and public affairs outlined company plans for expansion in the wake of the Impress buy, the importance of product diversification and the potential synergies to be gained with a customer base that is “common but not competing”.

She explained how glass is meeting the challenges posed by other materials like PET and how continuing consumer preference for glass is influencing brand owner packaging choice.