The awards - a joint initiative of the European Commission, leading European stock exchanges and EuropeanIssuers - are designed to promote best practices and encourage more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access capital markets via initial public offerings (IPOs).
In 2019, the Reinach, Switzerland-based Aluflexpack went public and raised CHF 168.6 million (€ 151.8 million) with the aim to continue its growth story by increasing production capacities and efficiency as well as by completing targeted M&A. Since its IPO, Aluflexpack has increased its market capitalization by around 29% to CHF 467.1 million (€ 443.5 million).
Thanks to the great collaboration and joint effort of Aluflexpack and the Primary Markets, Issuer Relations team, the application for the “Star of 2021” category could convince the jury panel. “By focusing on attractive market niches, innovation and the delivery of excellent results, Aluflexpack has experienced high growth since going public. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Aluflexpack managed to maintain stable production and supply chains for its customers and thus contributed to securing food and pharmaceutical supplies to end consumers. Additionally, ESG [environment, social, governance] is and will continue to be a critical component of our corporate strategy,” said Lukas Kothbauer, Head of Investor Relations and M&A at Aluflexpack.
“On behalf of SIX Swiss Exchange, we would like to congratulate Aluflexpack for the outstanding achievement of winning the “Star of 2021” Award. Aluflexpack’s success story underlines the important role that capital markets play in the growth of SMEs. The Swiss stock exchange has an excellent track record in supporting SMEs through initiatives such as Stage or Bridge as well as Sparks – the recently launched segment exclusively for SMEs”, said Krishna Tewari, Relationship Manager, Issuer Relations at SIX Swiss Exchange.