• Italian group expands footprint through acquisitions and new plants since 2024

• Planned Metal Crowns takeover would strengthen East Africa presence

• Growth driven by rising beverage production across the continent

Italian closure and packaging systems maker Guala Closures, which mainly supplies the beverage and liquid food industries, has stepped up its expansion in sub-Saharan Africa since 2024. Through a series of acquisitions and new industrial sites, the company is strengthening its position in a fast-growing packaging market, supported by the strong momentum of the region’s beverage industry.

East Africa market in focus

On January 14, the Competition Commission of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) announced the launch of an investigation into Guala Closures’ proposed acquisition of Metal Crowns, a manufacturer of crown caps and plastic closures for the bottling industry in East Africa.

Guala Closures announced on October 10, 2025 that it had signed an agreement to acquire Metal Crowns. The transaction, which is still subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Its value has not been disclosed. The deal aims to strengthen Guala Closures’ industrial base in East Africa, where it has been present since 2017 through its subsidiary Guala Closures East Africa, which operates a plant in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on closures for spirits.

Metal Crowns operates two industrial facilities, located in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. According to local media reports, the group, founded in 1978, also serves other regional markets including Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Mauritius, as well as some Central and Southern African countries. The acquisition would bring Guala Closures’ number of industrial sites in the region to three.

An expansion underway since 2024

In August 2024, Guala Closures announced the acquisition of Astir Vitogiannis Bros S.A., a Greek manufacturer of crown caps operating two plants in South Africa and Greece, for a total of €136 million. The deal increased the number of sites operated by Guala Closures in South Africa to two. The country marked the group’s first entry into Africa, following its 2012 acquisition of the Metal Closures division of MCG Industries for €20 million.

At the same time, Guala Closures is targeting the West African market. In April 2025, the company commissioned a plant in the Lagos Free Zone in Nigeria to produce anti-counterfeiting security closures for spirits bottles. According to the company, the facility will serve Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as well as neighboring markets, offering closures along with innovative features specifically developed for the region. Further expansion of the Lagos site is planned in the coming years to meet rising demand for the group’s packaging products.

Overall, the acceleration of investment in beverage bottling across Africa reflects a push to capture greater market share and respond to growing demand for closures in the industry. In the beer segment alone, analysis firm BarthHaas said African production rose 6.7% year on year in 2024 to 160.5 million hectoliters, marking the strongest regional growth worldwide.

Stéphanas Assocle