On June 30, the Stepak Bourdin group announced that it had entered into exclusive discussions to acquire Le Nappage, a French industrial player in the single-use tableware sector. Founded in 1945 and historically located in the Vosges region, Le Nappage currently employs 150 people across its two French industrial sites. A key player in the tableware sector, the company, chaired by Didier Destouches (who also chairs Sodipan Table), specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of single-use products. Each year, it produces two billion napkins and 75,000 km of tablecloths. However, over the past five years, the company's financial situation has weakened, particularly due to fluctuations in raw material prices and the challenges of its transformation. The two companies state that they share "a common industrial history and complementary expertise, which makes the integration of Le Nappage into the Stepak Bourdin group a natural and seamless fit."
Le Nappage is also a long-standing customer of the Le Bourray paper mill (which belongs to Stepak Bourdin). With this acquisition, the group intends to become the French leader in single-use tableware, relying on a 100% French, large-scale production capacity.
"This acquisition project allows us to envisage significant growth for the group at a time when the demand for responsible, French, and efficient production has never been greater," said Céline Bourdin, President of the Stepak Bourdin Group. "Le Nappage, with its local roots, its machinery, and its presence in complementary distribution channels, constitutes a major asset for building a resilient and competitive industrial model." »
Stepak Bourdin brings together two production entities. On the one hand, Le Bourray, a paper mill that produces white, colored, and recycled tissue rolls. Its production meets the needs of specialized processors in various sectors (tableware, hygiene, medical, wiping, automotive, packaging, etc.). This former Arjowiggins group paper mill was relaunched in 2019-2020. On the other hand, Manufacture de l'Éphémère, the leading French manufacturer of customizable single-use wadding, non-woven, and paper products for tableware and hygiene. Led by Céline and François Bourdin, the group generated revenue of €80 million in 2024 with 250 employees.
V. L.