Mondi to acquire majority stake in Turkish packaging firm Kalenobel

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Reuters) - Paper company Mondi Ltd (Other OTC: MODLF - news) said on Thursday it had signed a deal to buy 90 percent shares in Turkey's Kalenobel for around 90 million euro ($101 million) as part of a plan to grow its packaging business.

South African-based Mondi (LSE: MNDI.L - news) , also listed in London, said it would buy the stake from private equity group ARGUS Capital (Other OTC: CGHC - news) and one of Kalenobel's founders M. Olcay Hephiz. Mondi (EUREX: MDIF.EX - news) did not say how it would pay for the acquisition.

Turkish packaging companies have been attracting European strategic players for some time as the market is seen as having more potential with per-capita consumption of packaging at much lower levels compared to developed markets.

Instanbul-based Kalenobel makes flexible consumer packaging for ice cream, aseptic cartons and other products. The company exports nearly half of its products mainly to Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Mondi said in a statement.

The acquisition is in line with Mondi's strategy to grow its consumer packaging business and expand to high growth markets, Chief (Taiwan OTC: 3345.TWO - news) executive David Hathorn said.

Mondi, which made about a fifth of its 6.8 billion euro revenue from consumer packaging last year, said it expects the transaction to purchase Kalenobel to be completed in the second half of 2016.

Mondi, which has operations in more than 30 countries, makes and sells consumer packaging and paper products as part of its Europe and International division's Packaging Paper business.

In February, Hathorn told Reuters Mondi could borrow to fund acquisitions after spending 94 million euros on snapping up consumer packaging firms last year.

($1 = 0.8929 euros) (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by James Macharia)