The Wilkins Group

What The Wilkins Group does

The Wilkins Group is a family-owned, UK-headquartered specialist printer of folding cartons and retail packaging, founded in 1963 by commercial artist Ken Wilkins and now led by his son André Wilkins as Chairman. The company supplies all major UK supermarkets and global brands across five primary verticals — food & drink (with 100% low migration technology for direct food contact), textiles (hanger packs, swing tickets, bra boxes, sock packs), confectionery, toiletries and household products — and additionally produces board hangers, trays/tubs/pots and rigid boxes. Its manufacturing platform spans four wholly-owned facilities: a 170,000+ sq ft headquarters in Nottingham (UK) operating Komori Lithrone G40 seven-colour presses and Bobst cutting/creasing equipment; a 40,000 sq ft LEED Gold certified factory in Kadawatha, Sri Lanka (est. 2015) running fully automated Heidelberg machines; Wilkins Packaging China in Zhuhai with additional centres in Shanghai and Beijing (est. 2000); and Wilkins Dekko Bangladesh in Dhaka producing printed accessories, labels and polybags. The firm holds BRC, ISO-9001, Sedex, HIGG, LEED Gold and Mellow Colour ISO-12647-2 certifications, qualifying it for direct supply into UK, EU and US supermarket chains.

The Wilkins Group operates a pure B2B enterprise sales model — direct relationships with retailer procurement and brand packaging teams — with no digital consumer-facing channel and no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue is generated through one-off and recurring folding-carton manufacturing contracts across private-label supermarket programmes and branded FMCG customers. The firm has invested £8.8m in capex between 2022-2023, including a £5.2m Phase 3 UK factory expansion and a £2.5m Komori Lithrone G40 printing press delivering a stated 30% productivity uplift. Disclosed global turnover stands at £51m GBP (homepage figure) with year-on-year growth of approximately 20% reported at the time of the Phase 3 opening in 2023. Headcount is approximately 500 across the four-country footprint, with family ownership and no external private equity, venture capital or institutional investor involvement. Geographic reach spans the UK, Europe (Italy, Austria, Turkey), South Asia (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia), with global brand customers served via the integrated multi-country manufacturing hub model.

Name

The Wilkins Group

Legal name

Ken Wilkins Print Limited

Website

https://wilkins.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Wilkins Group is a family-owned UK-headquartered specialist printer of folding cartons and retail packaging, supplying all major UK supermarkets and global brands across food, textiles, confectionery, toiletries and household categories from four wholly-owned manufacturing facilities in the UK, Sri Lanka, China and Bangladesh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Packaging Manufacturing

akta.pro primary industry

Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Folding Cartons & Paperboard Packaging Converting (IMAMAHAB), Corrugated Packaging & Boxes (RSC, die-cut, bulk bins) (IMAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Folding carton printing
• Retail packaging manufacturing
• Food packaging solutions
• Textile packaging products
• Sustainable packaging design

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Packaging Manufacturing: Manufacturing and printing of folding cartons and packaging for global retail brands and supermarkets

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Manufactures and prints folding cartons and retail packaging for food (chilled and frozen), textiles, confectionery, toiletries, and household product markets. Operates wholly-owned manufacturing facilities in the UK (Nottingham), Sri Lanka, China, and Bangladesh, supplying major UK supermarkets and global brands with 100% low migration food packaging technology.

Product overview

The Wilkins Group is a specialist printing and packaging manufacturer offering folding cartons and innovative retail packaging solutions. The company operates a portfolio of manufacturing facilities across UK, Sri Lanka, China and Bangladesh, producing food packaging (with low migration technology), textile packaging, household product packaging, trays/tubs/pots, and board hangers. The product range includes Pukka, Hugo, and Romana packaging lines. The company operates as a single unified manufacturing platform with regional production hubs serving global brands and major supermarket chains worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Folding Cartons Specialist printing and manufacturing of folding cartons for retail packaging across food, textiles, confectionery, toiletries, and household product markets. Sold to global brands and major UK supermarkets.
• Food & Drink Packaging Folding cartons and packaging for leading supermarkets covering chilled and frozen food applications, produced using 100% low migration technology for direct food contact.
• Textile Packaging Garment and lingerie packaging including hanger packs, swing tickets, labels, collar cards, men's boxer short packs, staggered packs, sock packs, tight packs, and bra boxes.
• Household Packaging Packaging solutions for the household and chemical product industry with innovative designs suited to retail culture demands.
• Trays, Tubs & Pots Board-formed trays with direct food contact, available in recyclable or compostable materials, suitable for microwave, oven, freezer, and chill-cabinet use, with heat-seal capability.
• Board Hangers 100% plastic-free, eco-friendly, recyclable, fully printable board hangers with reduced tooling costs and bespoke profiles available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% productivity increase from new Komori Lithrone G40 press
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KomoricoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing partnership with Komori for printing press technology. Investment in Komori Lithrone G40 press as next generation equipment

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• DS Smith: UK-headquartered global paper and packaging group with significant folding-carton and corrugated exposure. A scaled incumbent operating across the same customer set (UK and European supermarkets) but with a much broader portfolio than Wilkins' specialist folding-carton focus.
• Sonoco Products: US-headquartered global packaging conglomerate serving food, retail, and consumer goods. Broader portfolio (rigid containers, paperboard, flexibles) but competes for the same supermarket packaging spend Wilkins targets.
• Mondi Group: Austrian/South African integrated paper and packaging manufacturer with significant folding-carton and corrugated operations. Comparable end markets in consumer goods and retail packaging with similar sustainability-led positioning.
• Smurfit Kappa: Irish-headquartered global leader in paper-based packaging, including folding cartons. A directly comparable end-market overlap (food, retail, textiles), though at far greater scale with European and Latin American manufacturing presence.
• Amcor: Global packaging giant with extensive food-contact and retail packaging operations. Overlaps with Wilkins in cartons and trays for supermarket customers but operates at significantly greater scale across rigid and flexible formats.

Direct peers

• Huhtamäki: Finnish global food and consumer goods packaging supplier with carton, tray, and label offerings. Direct overlap in chilled/frozen food trays and carton printing for major retailers across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
• Graphic Packaging Holding Company: US-listed paperboard packaging manufacturer focused on folding cartons for food and beverage customers. Highly comparable business model serving supermarket and FMCG accounts with similar sustainability and food-contact compliance requirements.
• Pollard Boxes: UK folding-carton manufacturer serving food and consumer goods markets. Similar independent, family-influenced heritage and scale to Wilkins with overlapping UK retailer customer base.
• Mayr-Melnhof Karton: Austrian specialist folding-carton and recycled folding-boxboard producer. Closest direct comparable by product mix (carton printing and converting for FMCG and retail), though more integrated upstream into board production.

Emerging players

• Parkside Flexibles: UK-based specialty packaging supplier with sustainability-led product lines for food and consumer brands. Comparable niche positioning to Wilkins but smaller and focused on flexible rather than folding-carton formats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Wilkins_Group

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wilkins Group