Mergers & Acquisitions In Brief
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Kao buys Molton Brown: Japanese consumer products company acquired UK luxury personal care firm Molton Brown for $298 mil. (£1=$1.75) from Bridgepoint Capital, private equity firm announces July 15. Kao filed documents related to a potential acquisition of Molton Brown June 26 with Germany's Bundeskartellamt, or Federal Cartel Office, which enforces fairness laws in the country. Molton Brown markets color cosmetics, skin care, hair care and bath and body care, and is distributed in the U.S. in department and specialty store doors like Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and bluemercury, in addition to two standalone stores in New York City. Kao's beauty care portfolio includes mass market Jergens and Bioré skin care brands, Ban antiperspirants and John Frieda hair care, which the company acquired in 2002 (1"The Rose Sheet" Aug. 5, 2002, p. 5)...