Kite Packaging

What Kite Packaging does

Kite Packaging Limited is a UK-based packaging distributor founded in 2001 by Bruce McInnes and operating as an employee-owned private company. The business combines an e-commerce storefront (kitepackaging.co.uk) carrying more than 2,500 stock SKUs with a branch-led major-accounts operation supported by nine Regional Distribution Centres across the UK (Coventry HQ plus Rotherham, Swindon, Letchworth, Portsmouth, Sittingbourne, Gateshead, Rochdale and Pewsey). Service lines span boxed and cardboard products, pallet wrap and stretch film, tapes, labels and printers, void fill and cushioning, postal packaging, food and chilled packaging, strapping, pallets and packroom equipment, alongside bespoke custom-sized boxes and sustainability-positioned products such as Hivewrap paper cushioning, paper void fill and wool-insulated liners.

The technical stack is built around a transactional e-commerce platform (with iOS and Android apps), Stripe- and PayPal-backed payments, automated UK credit-account onboarding, and an internally run ERP-tied call centre operation. Differentiated engineering assets include the Mini Air cushion machine family (Mini Air Easi, Mini Air Paper, Mini Air Pro) for on-demand void fill, Air Shock inflatable pouches, a Mobile Packaging Laboratory for on-site customer testing, and packaging-audit methodology that has documented waste reductions of up to 70%. Subsidiary Kite Environmental Solutions (KES) runs what the company describes as the only in-house EPR / Packaging Regulations compliance scheme, while membership in the KOBRA pan-European alliance extends reach to 26 partner sites and €20 million of pooled stock.

Kite sells through three coordinated go-to-market motions: self-serve e-commerce and a 40-strong Coventry telesales team for SMEs and transactional customers; a 40+ Business Development Manager field-sales force operating out of RDCs for mid-market and smaller enterprise accounts; and a dedicated Major Accounts team serving customers spending more than £30,000 per year, with bespoke design, vendor-managed packaging, JIT/Kanban delivery, and dedicated packaging technologists for those above £50,000. FY2025 turnover reached £186.1 million (vs £168.6M in 2024 and £142.4M in 2021) with PBIT of £30.2M and shareholder funds of £78.9M; pricing is unit-based online with free delivery over £45, 30-day credit terms for accounts passing UK-vetted criteria, and multi-year negotiated contracts for major accounts. The customer base spans e-commerce, manufacturing, food and beverage, retail, building and construction, legal, and warehouse and logistics end markets.

Name

Kite Packaging

Legal name

Kite Packaging Limited

Website

https://kitepackaging.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kite Packaging Limited is a UK employee-owned packaging distributor (founded 2001; FY2025 revenue £186.1M) selling 2,500+ stock SKUs via its e-commerce platform and nine Regional Distribution Centres, while serving enterprise customers through bespoke packaging design, vendor-managed packaging, EPR compliance (KES), and pan-European reach via the KOBRA alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging Distribution

NAICS

Packaging and Labeling Services (56191)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Engineered Transit Packaging & Packaging Design Services (IMALAFAM)

Keywords

• Industrial packaging supplies
• Custom packaging solutions
• Protective packaging materials
• Packaging distribution services
• Ecommerce packaging supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Tile Hill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Packaging Products: Sale of over 2,500 standard packaging products including boxes, tapes, bags, bubble wrap, pallet wrap, labels, and other packaging materials through e-commerce platform and branches.
2. Bespoke/Custom Packaging: Custom-designed packaging solutions for large volume users with minimum £30,000 annual spend or £3,000 per order. Includes custom print, bespoke sizing, and specialized products.
3. Packaging Compliance Services: EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) compliance scheme through Kite Environmental Solutions (KES) helping customers calculate obligations and report on packaging waste under UK regulations.
4. Equipment and Machinery: Sale and supply of packaging equipment including Mini Air cushion machines, strapping machines, and related accessories.
5. Packaging Audits and Consulting: Load retention audits, stretch film audits, pallet wrap analysis, and on-site pack analysis services to identify cost savings and efficiency improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kite Packaging is a UK-based B2B packaging distributor selling standard packaging supplies (boxes, tapes, pallet wrap, void fill, bubble wrap, labels, bags, postal packaging, food and chilled packaging) through its kitepackaging.co.uk e-commerce platform plus 9 Regional Distribution Centres, with over 2,500 stock SKUs available for next-day delivery. For larger customers (annual spend >£30,000 or order >£3,000) it supplies bespoke packaging design, custom-sized boxes, custom print, and packaging equipment. The company also operates the Kite Environmental Solutions (KES) compliance scheme for UK Packaging Regulations (EPR) and offers services including Mobile Packaging Laboratory on-site audits, load retention audits, and In-Box packaging engineering.

Product overview

Kite Packaging operates as a UK-based packaging supplier and distributor offering both an e-commerce platform (Kitepackaging.co.uk) with over 2,500 stock products and bespoke packaging services for large-volume customers. The core product is the online B2B store enabling self-service ordering of standard packaging supplies including boxes, tapes, void fill, bubble wrap, labels, bags, and specialty items like food packaging and chilled packaging. The product portfolio includes Mini Air cushion machines and Air Shock pouches for protective packaging, custom-sized boxes for bespoke requirements, and paper-based solutions like Hivewrap and Paper Void Fill for sustainable alternatives. Services are organized into specialist divisions: Load Retention Solutions (stretch film audits and automated wrapping), In-Box Solutions (packaging engineering and testing), Mobile Packaging Laboratory (on-site analysis), Kite Environmental Solutions (EPR compliance scheme), and Bespoke Packaging Services (custom design for major accounts). The company also offers a mobile app for iOS and Android, regional distribution centers nationwide, and supports major accounts with dedicated key account managers and packaging technologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kite Environmental Solutions (KES): Environmental compliance scheme for packaging regulations, helping businesses calculate obligations under Producer Responsibility Obligation (Packaging Waste) Regulations
• KOBRA Partnership

Products and services

• Kite Packaging Online Store (kitepackaging.co.uk) B2B e-commerce platform offering over 2,500 stock packaging products for self-serve online ordering with automated credit accounts and free standard delivery over £45, used by SMBs to large UK businesses.
• Boxes & Cardboard Boxes General-purpose and specialised cardboard boxes for packing, shipping, and storage including single-wall and double-wall options, used by e-commerce, manufacturing, retail, and logistics customers.
• Custom-Sized Boxes Bespoke box manufacturing service allowing customers to create cardboard boxes to specific dimensions for unique packaging requirements, accessed via the made-to-measure tool on the homepage.
• Pallet Wrap & Stretch Film Stretch film products for securing loads on pallets during transport, including hand wrap, machine wrap, and specialised load-retention films for manufacturers and warehouses.
• Packaging Tapes Comprehensive range of packaging tapes including polypropylene, PVC/vinyl, paper tapes with hotmelt, acrylic, solvent, and starch adhesives, plus custom-print options.
• Labels & Printers Thermal labels, plain labels, hazard and warning labels, and label printers for shipping and product identification, including linerless label options.
• Void Fill & Cushioning Protective packaging materials including paper void fill, air cushions, bubble wrap, loose fill chips, and foam protection for preventing damage during transit, available as standard SKUs.
• Mini Air Cushion Machines Proprietary automated air cushion inflating machines (Mini Air Easi, Mini Air Paper, Mini Air Pro) producing 100% recyclable protective air cushions for void fill, block-and-brace, and cushioning; films are 99% air and 1% plastic.
• Air Shock Pouches Inflatable air pouches with pre-inserted valves for protecting bottles, ceramics, electronics, and pharmaceuticals with easy in-house inflation.
• Bubble Wrap Protective bubble wrap in small and large bubble formats, anti-static options, and peel-and-seal bubble bags for transit protection.
• Polythene & Paper Bags Range of polythene bags, paper bags, mailing bags, and reusable sack bags for general packaging applications.
• Food Packaging Specialised packaging for food service and takeaway businesses, including compliant materials for food contact.
• Chilled Packaging Temperature-controlled packaging solutions including wool insulated liners for maintaining cold-chain integrity for food and pharmaceutical customers.
• Strapping, Ties & Bands Industrial strapping materials and tools for securing heavy loads including steel and plastic strapping, plus pallet strapping machines.
• Pallets & Pallet Boxes Wooden and plastic pallets, Euro boxes, collapsible boxes and collapsible storage boxes for logistics and storage.
• Heat Shrink & Vacuum Packaging Heat shrink films, shrink wrap machines, and vacuum packaging solutions for product protection and presentation.
• Invisipen Thermal Label Eraser Pen-style thermal label eraser that dispenses quick-drying liquid to make printed text on thermal labels illegible, supporting data protection and label error correction without replacing entire labels.
• Load Retention Solutions Specialist division providing stretch film audits, automated and hand-application solutions for pallet wrapping, with claimed packaging-waste reduction of up to 70%.
• In-Box Solutions Packaging engineering team providing on-site pack analysis, time-and-motion studies, supply-chain cost analysis, R&D testing, and pack development with prototype testing.
• Mobile Packaging Laboratory Mobile testing facility that visits customer sites to analyse packaging requirements and provide expert packaging recommendations including audits, load testing, and pack validation.
• Kite Environmental Solutions (KES) Compliance Scheme Compliance scheme for Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, helping UK businesses calculate obligations and providing audit and reporting services under EPR.
• Bespoke Packaging Services Custom packaging design and manufacturing for large-volume customers with dedicated account managers and packaging technologists; available to businesses spending over £30,000/year or with order value above £3,000.
• Kite Packaging Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing customer order portal functionality for ordering packaging supplies on-the-go and managing accounts.
• Paper Void Fill in a Box Paper-based void fill system providing a sustainable alternative to bubble wrap and loose fill for protecting goods in transit.
• Hivewrap 100% recyclable and biodegradable protective paper wrap with hive-shaped cells for sustainable product protection.
• Packroom Equipment Warehouse and packing equipment including sack trucks, heat sealers, and handling tools for efficient packaging operations.
• Gift Packaging Specialised packaging solutions for gift products and retail presentation sold through the online store and RDCs.
• Postal Packaging Mailing and postal packaging including postal tubes, book-wrap mailers, and postal boxes for shipping documents and products.
• Environmental Products Eco-friendly packaging options including recyclable materials, sustainable products, and environmental compliance solutions supporting the sustainable packaging line.

Quantifiable outcome

• Packaging waste reduction of up to 70% through load retention audits
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KOBRA PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European alliance of like-minded independent packaging distributors. KOBRA aims to offer multi-sited European customers a single European packaging solution with 26 sites across Europe, €20 million stock, and significant purchasing power from an extensive network of suppliers. Enables Kite to serve international clients and suppliers.
• Zoë's PlaceminorOthersCharitable partnership where Kite Packaging's online division nominated Zoë's Place as their 2018 charity and donated £1,000 to support the hospice providing palliative care to babies and infants in the Midlands.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Davpack: UK-based online packaging supplier selling boxes, tape, wrap and protective packaging to SMEs. Competes with Kite on the e-commerce standard SKU tail of the catalogue.
• Macfarlane Group: LSE-listed UK packaging distributor with a national RDC network and similar mix of standard distribution and value-added packaging design services. The only directly comparable UK packaging distributor with public financials, making it the most relevant benchmark for valuation.
• Rajapack (Raja Group): Largest European multi-channel packaging distributor; offers 2,500+ SKUs via e-commerce plus bespoke packaging for major accounts across UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Closest direct competitor to Kite's hybrid field-sales + e-commerce model in the UK.
• Crescent Packaging / Crescent Direct: UK packaging supplier with online ordering and bespoke packaging services targeting SMEs and mid-market customers. Direct competitor in the standard products and small-bespoke segment.
• Packaging2Buy: UK-based packaging distributor focused on e-commerce and SME customers. Competes with Kite's online division on standard boxes, mailing bags and protective packaging.
• Smith Packaging: UK packaging distributor serving industrial customers with corrugated, stretch film, tapes and protective packaging. Comparable customer mix to Kite's manufacturing and logistics segments.

Broad incumbents

• Bunzl: FTSE 100 international distribution and outsourcing group with a sizable packaging distribution arm. Operates broadly across multiple product categories; competes with Kite in the UK packaging distribution layer but at materially larger scale.
• Amazon Business: B2B marketplace offering boxes, tape, mailing supplies and protective packaging with next-day delivery. Competes most directly with Kite's e-commerce tail on price and convenience for SMEs and individual buyers.
• Antalis (KPP): European-wide packaging and paper distributor now part of KPP. Larger, broader portfolio including visual communication and office papers; overlaps with Kite on UK industrial packaging but is a much larger incumbent.

Others

• Staples UK (Office Depot): UK office and packaging supplies retailer. Adjacent competitor for small-business packaging buyers rather than a direct packaging distributor, but overlaps on commodity boxes, mailing and shipping supplies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kitepackaging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kite-packaging
• Facebookfacebook.com/kitepackaging

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Kite Packaging