Whisky packaging supplier bolsters 300-strong workforce after swallowing Bathgate peer

McLaren Packaging MD gives ‘business as usual’ pledge to Glenhaze clients and staff.

Gary McCulloch of Glenhaze with Michael McLaren and Donald McLaren of Port Glasgow-based McLaren Packaging.

A west coast packaging business that supplies products for the premium drink and whisky sectors has acquired a Bathgate-based peer in a deal that involves the transfer of all 25 workers.

Port Glasgow-based McLaren Packaging, which was founded in 1979 and has annual sales of around £45 million, said it had bought protective packaging company Glenhaze for an undisclosed sum.

Donald McLaren, managing director of McLaren Packaging, which operates from eight locations in central Scotland and has a workforce totalling 300, said: “Glenhaze offers a range of services that complement our broader product offering. We look forward to working alongside the team at Glenhaze to develop new business. We are retaining the Glenhaze premises in Bathgate, together with all 25 employees so, as far as Glenhaze clients and staff are concerned, it will be business as usual.

“Like ourselves, Glenhaze is a family business with a laser-focus on quality and service. That’s been a huge part of its success - so we share a like-minded approach to the drinks market, offering an important product that protects the valuable products our customers produce.”

He added: “Corrugate is a material that we know well through our existing operations. The manufacture of specialised corrugate divisions gives us an attractive niche in the supply of protective packaging to a range of sectors.”

Established in 1994, Glenhaze’s purpose-built factory features a CAD-controlled system that allows the rapid creation of prototypes. All of its products can be made from 100 per cent recycled paper. Managing director Gary McCulloch said clients would see a “seamless continuity of services”.