Skip to content

Contraload, now part of Tosca, wins M&A Awards 2020 for Best PE Growth Capital Deal

Tosca by Tosca,

In this article

March 19, 2021 – Contraload NV, a leader in plastic pallet pooling in the United Kingdom and European Union, has won this year’s Best PE Growth Capital Deal for its acquisition by Tosca, a global leader in reusable packaging solutions and pooling for food supply chains. Jesse Sels, President EMEA at Tosca and founder and former CEO at Contraload took part in the online show of the third edition of the M&A Awards, specifically on the M&A Sofa Sessions where the economist Peter De Keyzwer interviewed him.  

“In our business, we knew scalability was the way forward. When Tosca approach us we felt it was the right project for our company and people, to join our upstream business to their downstream and became one stronger partner to service supply chains end to end, from the first mile to the last mile,” explained Jesse Sels.

The M&A Awards panel of judges recognised Contraload’s entrepreneurial spirit of providing a solution to ameliorate a key sector of the economy: the transport of raw materials to FMCG companies. With sustainable materials and smart software, Contraload managed to greatly streamline this transport process, while making important strides towards making it more sustainable. Within a few years, the company managed to attain a position as the European market leader, with over 3 million ‘smart pallets’ in circulation. This caught the attention of renowned investment firm Apax Partners, which acquired Contraload through its portfolio company Tosca, a 60-year-old leader in reusable packaging and supply chain solutions in the United States.

Tosca acquired Contraload in August 2020, eight months after buying Polymer Logistics, joining three major players in the global food supply chain space into one stronger partner. Together as one brand, Tosca is ready to serve customers with top-of-the-line customer service, a more robust portfolio of products, a growing and global network, and nimble and innovative R&D and manufacturing capability. Tosca’s product systems are designed to be individually powerful, and together unbeatable.

To watch Jesse Sels’ interview on the M&A Sofa Sessions, visit M&A Sofa Sessions 2020 – M&A Awards 2020 for more information on Tosca’s solutions go to www.toscaltd.com/en-gb.


About Tosca

Tosca (www.toscaltd.com/en-gb) is a global leader in reusable packaging solutions and pooling for food supply chains. Our unique end-to-end pooling capabilities offer growers, suppliers, and retailers a smarter way to move their products from source to shelf. With reusable containers and pallets that preserve product quality and reduce shrink and labour cost, we help these customers build higher performing supply chains.

Tosca’s recent acquisition of Polymer Logistics and Contraload now creates one stronger partner with expanded global reach and a more robust product portfolio, capable of serving both upstream and downstream markets.

For more information visit: www.toscaltd.com/en-gb.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

About the author

Tosca

More info

Related resources

Customer stories

Iperal transforms fresh supply chain with Tosca’s automation-ready reusable plastic crates

Iperal, one of Northern Italy’s most dynamic supermarket chains, has built its reputation on quality, service and a close connection...
Pooling

Why plastic pallet pooling reduces costs and breakage

Across Europe, supply chains are under pressure to operate more sustainably while remaining cost-effective. Balancing assets like pallets, which move...
Reusable crates

Why Plastic Fruit Crates Are Essential in Modern Logistics 

When it comes to moving fresh produce, there are many important factors to consider: as with anything fresh, time is critical. Additionally, quality, hygiene,...