Asteria adds UK converter Abbey Labels in third 2026 deal

What's the deal? Asteria Group has acquired Abbey Labels, a Suffolk-based self-adhesive label converter founded by the Allum family more than 50 years ago. The deal brings the specialist into Asteria's UK operations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

What does Abbey do? Started by Peter Allum in the early 1970s as a family printing company, Abbey grew into a UK specialist producing more than half a billion labels a year. It offers digital and flexo printing, peel-and-reveal and multi-layer labels, and specialist finishing across a wide range of materials.

The strategic rationale: Asteria said Abbey's digital and flexographic capabilities complement its existing UK operations, letting the group share expertise and widen its offering. Abbey also holds AA BRC and ISO 14001 certifications, which Asteria tied to its goal of becoming a sustainable frontrunner in the European label and packaging industry by 2030.

"Abbey Labels has built an excellent reputation over more than 50 years," said Ives Declerck, chief executive officer of Asteria Group. "We look forward to building on the foundations established by the Allum family and supporting the next stage of the company's growth."

Why now? Abbey is Asteria's third acquisition this year. It follows the June purchase of UK-based Mercian LabelsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the August addition of Dutch converter GT Etiketten.

The signal: Asteria is steadily assembling a European production network through bolt-on deals, and Abbey extends both its UK capacity and its digital and flexographic capabilities. With terms undisclosed, the financial scale stays unclear — but the pace points to continued consolidation across the label and packaging sector.

Read more: labelsandlabeling.com

Image credit: Generated with Gemini