London, 24 February 2020 - SharpEnd, the London-based Agency of Things™, has signed a strategic partnership with Guala Closures Group, a world-leading manufacturer of closures for spirits and wine, and pioneer in connected caps.
The deal consists of the initial acquisition of 20% of shares of SharpEnd by Guala Closures, with potential further capital injections in the company. Guala Closures will remain a minority investor while Cameron Worth, SharpEnd’s founder and current sole shareholder, will retain the majority of the company’s shares.
Guala Closures is a pioneer in connected closures with its NěSTGATE™ proprietary technology, enabling industrial use in supply chain management as well as consumer engagement programmes.
Founded in 2015 as the world’s first IoT agency, SharpEnd is known for being a pioneering creative technology partner with an appetite to push the boundaries of consumer engagement with a global client list including AB-InBev, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever and Pernod Ricard. This partnership enables SharpEnd to continue this journey and accelerate its growth strategy through Guala Closures’ backing.
SharpEnd and Guala Closures already have a consolidated relationship based on their ground-breaking work together on NFC-enabled closures. Most recently, they partnered with Californian wine brand Böen, the first United States wine brand to deploy NěSTGATE™ NFC technology. By simply tapping the cap with their smartphones, consumers are taken to an interactive farmhouse with a range of content experiences.
Guala Closures’ investment in a strategic partner follows its intent to provide turnkey solutions to customers by becoming a technology integrator of connected packaging solutions. SharpEnd will scale up the development of its IoT software platform to be implemented by GCL’s clients, extending to supply chain management, stock management, theft prevention and ultimately product security, anti-tampering and forgery prevention.
Paolo Ferrari, Guala Closures Group Chief Marketing Officer and M&A Director, says: “SharpEnd’s expertise will allow us to accelerate our Internet of Closures strategy development to help our clients provide better brand experiences to their consumers via the most advanced digital marketing solutions, turning data into valuable consumer insights.”
Cameron Worth, CEO and founder at SharpEnd, adds: “The partnership with, and growth capital from, our friends at Guala Closures gives us access to their vast R&D facilities and accelerates everything we are doing across creative technology and data in key verticals such as fashion, FMCG, spirits and cosmetics.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About SharpEnd
SharpEnd is moving brands closer than ever to consumers by connecting packaging, retail and experiential activity. You can find out more at https://wearesharpend.com
About Guala Closures Group
Guala Closures Group has more than 4,700 employees and operates in 5 continents through 30 production plants and markets its products in over 100 countries. The Group sells nearly 20 billion closures each year with a 2018 turnover of 543 million Euros. Thanks to a policy of continuous business development and technological innovation, the Group is recognized as a global benchmark in the production of alcohol safety closures and is a leading manufacturer of aluminium closures for spirits, wines and beverages. From August 2018, Guala Closures S.p.A. has been listed on the STAR segment of the Italian Stock Exchange, entering the FTSE Italia Mid Cap index in September 2019.
Find out more on www.gualaclosures.com or on www.nestgate-gualaclosures.com
For more information contact:
Guala Closures Group Press office
Elisa Mendicino
T +39 02 8545 7089
elisa.mendicino@havaspr.com
SharpEnd Press office contacts
Bhavna Mistry: bhavna@velvetpr.biz 020 8996 1802
Stuart Heckford: stuarth@velvetpr.biz 020 3 176 6996