- New 50/50 joint venture to scale up Trans-Tasman crate pooling
- Provides sustainable alternatives to cardboard boxes for supermarket supply chains.
- Business will be known as Viscount Reuse.
ASX-listed Pact Group and global infrastructure investment manager, Morrison & Co (“Morrison”), have completed the sale of a 50 percent stake in Pact’s crate pooling business to Morrison on behalf of its investors to form a new joint venture. The deal was originally announced in August 2023 (Pact Group sells 50% share of crate pooling business for $160M, partners with Morrison & Co to propel growth).
Crate pooling business rebranded as Viscount Reuse
The business has been rebranded as Viscount Reuse, operating as an independent entity and focusing on expanding its capabilities and accelerating growth opportunities in Australia and New Zealand.
Viscount Reuse manages an asset pool of reusable and recyclable plastic packaging crates with contracts in place with leading grocery groups including Woolworths, ALDI Australia and Foodstuffs in New Zealand. The business also manufactures and supplies crates, bins and megabins for use in the fresh food and automated supply chain.
Earlier this month, the business opened a new service facility in Auckland, New Zealand, enhancing its network of wash and distribution facilities throughout Australia and New Zealand that keep the crates moving in a closed-loop asset pool between suppliers, retailer distribution centers and supermarkets, thereby decreasing waste and maximizing efficiency.
The crates, which are reusable and recyclable, are a sustainable alternative to single-use cardboard and polystyrene boxes. Designed to be used about 140 times before being recycled, they deliver economic and sustainability benefits, which have been driving adoption across fresh grocery supply chains.
Former Pact Reuse Executive General Manager and incoming Viscount Reuse CEO Wayne Williams said: “We are excited about the future for Viscount Reuse and the growth that this new joint venture partnership will bring to existing and future customers who are committed to operating their fresh produce supply chains more efficiently and sustainably.”
Morrison Partner Mark Mudie described the business as playing a critical role in transitioning to more sustainable grocery supply chains and reducing food and packaging waste.
“Our investment in Viscount Reuse provides an opportunity for our investors to gain access to an experienced circular economy operator that enables its customers to achieve their sustainability targets while improving product quality.”
Pact will receive approximately A$160 million in cash proceeds from the sale net of costs and tax, with a further earn-out potential of A$20 million, reflecting an enterprise value of A$380 million for the business.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
