Lincoln International’s Global Packaging Team Reports Strong 2022 and Continued Demand for Packaging in 2023

Packaging activity in 2022 was strong but experienced a continued cooling as the year finished. While the latter half of this year showed a decline in the total number of completed transactions, we continue to see both private and public companies engage sell-side advisors to best position themselves for when uncertain market dynamics subside. Although difficult to predict exactly when that will happen, it is possible we will see a rebound of M&A market activity in the second half of 2023 across the flexible, label, rigid and paperboard verticals.

A number of factors contribute to our outlook, including private equity hold period expirations, the availability of dry powder that must be spent in the near term and a continuous desire for “must-have assets” even in challenging market conditions. Furthermore, with fewer companies engaging in sell-side processes, we expect the demand for high-quality assets in sale processes to be stronger, driving competitive tensions that ultimately benefit sellers.