News Release

Japan Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo, Representative Director, President and CEO: Akihiko Watanabe, hereinafter “the company”) is pleased to announce that Aarque Group Limited (Head Office: Auckland, New Zealand, hereinafter “Aarque”), a subsidiary of Ball & Doggett Group Pty Ltd (Head Office: Melbourne, Australia, hereinafter “Ball & Doggett Group”), which is a consolidated subsidiary of the company, has acquired the business of Carter Consolidated Limited (Head Office: Tauranga, New Zealand, hereinafter “Carter”).

Aarque, a subsidiary of BJ Ball Limited (Head Office: Auckland, New Zealand), which is in turn part of the Ball & Doggett Group, operates in the sign and display business in New Zealand. To strengthen this business segment, Aarque has acquired the operations of Carter. By integrating Carter, which has a strong presence in the wide-format digital printing sector, particularly for apparel, the Ball & Doggett Group aims to reinforce its position as a leading company in the paper distribution industry in Oceania, enhance its various business areas, and pursuing further growth.

As part of the Japan Pulp & Paper Group’s Medium-term Business Plan 2026, one of the strategies for the Non-Japan Wholesaling segment is to continuously execute complementary mergers and acquisitions. This approach aims to strengthen the sales of high-value-added products, such as sign and display materials, and increase the group’s market share. This acquisition of Carter's operations is a step in this direction.