DS Smith

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British multinational packaging business

title: "DS Smith" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["manufacturing-companies-established-in-1940", "pulp-and-paper-companies-of-the-united-kingdom", "companies-formerly-listed-on-the-london-stock-exchange", "1940-establishments-in-england", "packaging-companies", "manufacturing-companies-based-in-london", "british-companies-established-in-1940", "2025-mergers-and-acquisitions"] description: "British multinational packaging business" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DS_Smith" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British multinational packaging business ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameDS Smith plc
logoDS_Smith_logo.svg
typeSubsidiary
traded_as
foundation1940
locationLondon
key_people
industryPackaging
revenue£8,221 million (2023)
operating_income£748 million (2023)
net_income£503 million (2023)
num_employees30,168 (2023)
parentInternational Paper
homepage
::

| name = DS Smith plc | logo = DS_Smith_logo.svg | logo_size = | type = Subsidiary | traded_as = | foundation = 1940 | location = London | key_people = | industry = Packaging | products = | revenue = £8,221 million (2023) | operating_income = £748 million (2023) | net_income = £503 million (2023) | num_employees = 30,168 (2023) | parent = International Paper | subsid = | homepage = | footnotes =

DS Smith plc is a British multinational packaging business, headquartered in London. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by International Paper in February 2025.

History

The business was founded by two cousins, David Gabriel Smith and David Solomon Smith in 1940, to manufacture cartons. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in the late 1950s.

In 1986 the company acquired St Regis Paper Company and in 1988 Kemsley Paper Mill, both paper manufacturing businesses. In 1991 the business bought Kaysersberg Packaging, a leading packaging business, and in 1993 it bought Spicers, an office products wholesaler. In 1996 it acquired John Dickinson, an envelope manufacturer, and in 2004 it completed the purchase of Linpac Containers, a corrugated packaging manufacturer.

The company sold Spicers, its office products wholesaling business, for £200 million, in July 2011 and acquired the packaging division of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget for a net consideration of approximately €1.6 billion (c. £1.3 billion) in July 2012. It went on to complete the acquisition of Duropack for approximately €300m (c. £220m) in May 2015 and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index in December 2017. In August 2023, it was announced DS Smith had acquired the Valjevo-based packaging company, Bosis doo.

On 19 February 2024, DS Smith announced a €13 million investment to enhance the production capacity of its Margarethen am Moos and Kalsdorf bei Graz facilities in Austria by up to 20%, as part of its growth strategy in Eastern Europe and commitment to the sustainable packaging market.

In March 2024, the company's board indicated that it had agreed a takeover offer worth £5.1billion from packaging business, Mondi. In April, the company agreed to a larger £5.8 billion ($7.2 billion) all stock deal from the U.S. paper and pulp company, International Paper. The transaction was approved by the court on 30 January 2025, so allowing the takeover to complete.

Operations

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Reflection,_350_Euston_Road,London-geograph.org.uk-_1249820.jpg" caption="Sir Antony Gormley]] outside DS Smith's former head office in [[Euston Road]]."] ::

DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable fibre-based packaging in Europe and the United States, with recycling and papermaking operations. The company manufactures packaging that is 100% recyclable, and has sites in 37 countries.

References

References

  1. "Annual Report 2023". DS Smith.
  2. "History". DS Smith.
  3. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/david-smith-buys-spicers-for-pounds-95m-purchase-of-envelope-maker-marks-move-away-from-cyclical-paper-making-1494038.html David Smith buys Spicers for £95m: Purchase of envelope maker marks move away from cyclical paper making] ''The Independent'', 26 June 1993
  4. "Hamelin Brands - branded envelopes, notebooks, pads, diaries". hamelinpaperbrands.co.uk.
  5. (June 2004). "DS Smith to acquire Linpac Containers UK".
  6. [http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/ds-smith-sells-spicers-to-unipapel-for-200m/ DS Smith sells Spicers to Unipapel for £200m] ''Packaging News'', 3 January 2012
  7. (7 January 2012). "DS Smith doubles in size with £1.3bn SCA Packaging deal". Citywire.
  8. (23 February 2015). "DS Smith snaps up Duropack for €300m". FT.
  9. "New FTSE 100 entrant DS Smith could make you brilliantly rich". Motley Fool.
  10. Sharma, Soumya. (2023-08-02). "DS Smith signs deal to acquire Bosis doo".
  11. Sharma, Soumya. (2024-02-19). "DS Smith invests in two Austrian facilities to boost production".
  12. (8 March 2024). "DS Smith shares lift after Mondi takeover deal agreed". The Herald.
  13. (16 April 2024). "DS Smith agrees $7.2 bln all-share deal with International Paper". Reuters.
  14. (30 January 2025). "Court sanction scheme of arrangement". London Stock Exchange.
  15. "DS Smith Locations Map". DS SMith.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

manufacturing-companies-established-in-1940pulp-and-paper-companies-of-the-united-kingdomcompanies-formerly-listed-on-the-london-stock-exchange1940-establishments-in-englandpackaging-companiesmanufacturing-companies-based-in-londonbritish-companies-established-in-19402025-mergers-and-acquisitions