Guala Closures seeks regulatory approval to acquire Kenyan cap maker Metal Crowns
Italian closures group Guala moves to acquire Kenyan manufacturer Metal Crowns as it expands across East Africa.
KENYA – Italian closures manufacturer Guala Closures SpA has applied for regulatory clearance to acquire 100 percent of Metal Crowns Limited (Kenya), a 47-year-old company specialising in the manufacture and sale of plastic caps and metal crowns. The acquisition price has not been disclosed.
The proposed transaction has been formally notified to the Comesa Competition Commission (CCC), which has opened an inquiry to assess the deal’s potential impact on competition within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) region. Metal Crowns is currently owned by Mantiax Investments Limited.
According to the commission’s inquiry notice, completion of the transaction would allow Guala to enter the plastic closures market for non-alcoholic beverages, complementing its existing portfolio focused on wine, spirits and bottled water closures.
“The parties submitted from the target group’s perspective that the proposed transaction is expected to bring operational efficiencies and present an opportunity for the sellers to realise their investment in the target group,” the commission said in its notice.
Guala Closures is a global supplier of specialty closure solutions for the beverage sector. The company already operates in Kenya through Guala Closures East Africa Ltd, established in 2017. Its other African operations are located in South Africa and Nigeria.
The group began full operations in Nairobi in 2018 with a manufacturing plant focused on serving the local spirits market with advanced anti-counterfeiting closures. The Nairobi facility also supplies other regional markets, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.
Metal Crowns manufactures metal crowns in Kenya for both domestic and export markets. The company sells its products across Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, while its plastic closures are distributed in DRC, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.
Disclosures made by Guala in October last year, when it signed the sale agreement, indicated that Metal Crowns generated aggregated revenues of about €32 million (Sh4.8 billion) in the 12 months ending July 2025.
Guala said the acquisition aligns with its strategy to strengthen its footprint in fast-growing East African markets, supported by favourable demographics and rising consumption.
“By combining our international expertise with Metal Crowns’ local strength, we aim to build a solid platform to drive sustainable growth and innovation across the region,” said Andrea Lodetti, Guala’s CEO.
“Leveraging Metal Crowns’ longstanding relationships with global customers, we expect to gain further opportunities to expand into other East African countries.”
The Comesa Competition Commission said the transaction will be assessed under Articles 24 and 26 of the Comesa Competition Regulations. Guala and Metal Crowns have told the regulator that geographic overlaps are limited to Zambia and Zimbabwe and relate only to the sale of metal crowns, adding that the firms have no vertical relationship within the Comesa region.
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