DS Smith : U.S. requires sale of 'bag in box' business to allow Liqui-Box deal

Liqui-Box Inc, which makes packaging including bag-in-box systems for wine, smoothies and other liquids, will be allowed to buy DS Smith's plastics business on condition it divest some assets, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.

The Justice Department said that the companies were two of the four companies competing to provide bags-in-boxes for boxed wine.

The companies agreed to sell DS Plastic's U.S. bag-in-box product lines in order to win antitrust approval for the merger in the United States.

The companies said in October that they would sell Liqui-Box's UK bag-in-box business to Peak Packaging under pressure from Britain's Competition and Markets Authority.

Liqui-Box is owned by Olympus Growth Fund VI, LP, a part of Olympus Partners.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)