Features

European Label Markets

Converters throughout the continent continue to invest in new presses, facilities and M&A activity.

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Steve Katz, Associate Editor09.10.21

It’s been a tumultuous time for just about every industry. The pandemic has been a boon for some and a business-crippling curse for others. In Europe, just like other geographic regions within the label converting sector, the same applies – the specific end-use sectors a converter primarily serves will determine how well they’ve fared during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Data coming out of Europe shows how the label industry experienced a spike amid the pandemic. European labelstock demand grew by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter the previous year. The increase followed modest growth rates of 1.8% and 1.4%, recorded in 2019 and 2018, respectively, although the second half of 2019 already indicated an upward trend with above 3% year-on-year increases. Results have been strongly impacted by Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, as short term demand for critical supplies to the food, pharmaceutical, personal care and medical markets surged, and retail chains started stockpiling in anticipation of prolonged lockdown periods and consumer hoarding.

In view of these numbers, it should be no surprise that lead times fo