The American paper manufacturer Sylvamo is preparing to sell its European operations, which include two uncoated paper mills?one located in Saillat-sur-Vienne in Haute-Vienne, and the other in Nymölla, Sweden. A put option agreement has been signed with the investment fund Midas Atlantic Partners, in partnership with The Najafi Companies.
In France, Sylvamo employs approximately 750 people, 600 of whom work at the integrated paper mill in Saillat, which produces printing and writing papers as well as paper pulp for various applications. The rest work in forestry operations in Corrèze.
Sylvamo, which has more than 6,500 employees worldwide and reported revenue of $3.4 billion in 2025 (2.94 billion euros), has already taken the financial impact of its planned sale into account. In its third-quarter 2026 financial statements, the paper manufacturer reduced the book value of its European operations by $342 million (295 million euros).
Now classified as discontinued operations, the European operations generated revenue of $178 million (154 million euros) in the third quarter.
During the same period, the group generated revenue of $645 million (?557 million) and net income of $85 million (?73 million) in North America and Latin America.
The acquirer, Midas Atlantic Partners, is a private equity firm with operations on both sides of the Atlantic that specializes in acquiring businesses divested by large corporations. Its financial partner, The Najafi Companies, invests its own capital in long-term equity investments.
According to John Sims, CEO of Sylvamo, this transaction would allow the paper manufacturer to focus its investments on the North American and Latin American markets.
However, the sale is not yet final. Sylvamo must first conduct the required consultations with employee representatives. After that, the final sale agreement could be signed by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Sylvamo is not the only paper manufacturer to sell part of its business to an investment fund. Within a few days of each other, the Austrian manufacturer Mayr-Melnhof also announced the sale of 70% of its global packaging division, MM Packaging. Both transactions involve manufacturing facilities in France.
