Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPB), a global consumer products
company with market-leading brands, announced today its United Pet Group
(UPG) subsidiary has completed the acquisition of FURminator®, the
leading worldwide provider of branded and patented deshedding products
to the pet industry, from HKW Capital Partners III, L.P. and the other
shareholders. A definitive agreement to acquire FURminator was announced
on December 6.
"FURminator is an outstanding addition to UPG and its broad companion
animal product portfolio, giving us the global leadership position in
the large and growing $200 million dog and cat grooming category,” said
Dave Lumley, Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Brands Holdings. "This
accretive acquisition, which will enhance our margins, offers major
revenue growth opportunities as well as manufacturing, supply chain and
distribution synergies which we expect to quickly realize over the next
12 to 18 months.”
Founded in 2002 and with annual revenues of nearly $40 million,
FURminator markets professional quality dog and cat products for the
worldwide grooming tools and accessories category using two brands:
FURminator® in the North American pet channel and internationally and
FurGOpet® in the North American mass merchandise channel.
"FURminator is an ideal fit with our stated strategy to seek
synergistic, bolt-on acquisitions that expand our product line with
strong, complementary brands in growing categories, increase and extend
our market penetration, and provide for manufacturing and distribution
synergies,” Mr. Lumley said.
"FURminator will help advance our dual strategy,” he continued, "of
accretive, bolt-on acquisitions and a resulting faster rate of debt
reduction and deleveraging in fiscal 2012 and 2013 from the growth these
acquisitions provide.”
About United Pet Group
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio and with fiscal 2011 net sales of $579
million, United Pet Group, Inc. is a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands
Holdings, Inc., and is the leading manufacturer of consumer products for
the pet supply markets globally. United Pet Group provides its customers
with innovative products of outstanding quality for pet owners,
including dogs, cat, birds, small animals, fish and reptiles.
Its
brands --Tetra®, Marineland®, Nature’s Miracle®, Dingo® -- are well
recognized by consumers for delivering exceptional value and trusted
results.
United Pet Group’s passion and longstanding commitment
to quality and value has earned the confidence of its global
retail
partners, who count on United Pet Group to deliver innovative and highly
profitable products, customized solutions and merchandising excellence.
For more information, visit www.unitedpetgroup.com.
About Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., a member of the Russell 2000
Index, is a global and diversified consumer products company and a
leading supplier of batteries, shaving and grooming products, personal
care products, small household appliances, specialty pet supplies, lawn
& garden and home pest control products, personal insect repellents and
portable lighting. Helping to meet the needs of consumers worldwide, the
Company offers a broad portfolio of market-leading, well-known and
widely trusted brands including Rayovac®, Varta®, Remington®, George
Foreman®, Black & Decker®, Toastmaster®, Farberware®, Tetra®,
Marineland®, Nature’s Miracle®, Dingo®, 8-in-1®, Littermaid®,
Spectracide®, Cutter®, Repel®, and Hot Shot®. Spectrum Brands Holdings'
products are sold by the world's top 25 retailers and are available in
more than one million stores in approximately 130 countries.
Headquartered
in Madison, Wisconsin, Spectrum Brands Holdings reported net sales of
approximately $3.2 billion in fiscal 2011. For more information, visit www.spectrumbrands.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters discussed in this news release and other oral and
written statements by representatives of the Company regarding matters
such as expected sales, adjusted EBITDA, other measures of financial
performance, and the financial impact of the FURminator acquisition may
be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to
differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this release.
Actual results may differ materially as a result of (1) Spectrum Brands
Holdings' ability to manage and otherwise comply with its covenants with
respect to its significant outstanding indebtedness, (2) the inability
to integrate, and to realize synergies from, the combined businesses of
Spectrum Brands and its acquired companies, including FURminator,
Russell Hobbs and other acquisitions, (3) risks related to changes and
developments in external competitive market factors, such as
introduction of new product features or technological developments,
development of new competitors or competitive brands or competitive
promotional activity or spending, (4) changes in consumer demand for the
various types of products Spectrum Brands Holdings offers, (5)
unfavorable developments in the global credit markets, (6) the impact of
overall economic conditions on consumer spending, (7) fluctuations in
commodities prices, the costs or availability of raw materials or terms
and conditions available from suppliers, (8) changes in the general
economic conditions in countries and regions where Spectrum Brands
Holdings does business, such as stock market prices, interest rates,
currency exchange rates, inflation and consumer spending, (9) Spectrum
Brands Holdings' ability to successfully implement manufacturing,
distribution and other cost efficiencies and to continue to benefit from
its cost-cutting initiatives, (10) Spectrum Brands Holdings' ability to
identify, develop and retain key employees, (11) unfavorable weather
conditions and various other risks and uncertainties, including those
discussed herein and those set forth in Spectrum Brands Holdings' and
Spectrum Brands' securities filings, including their most recently filed
Annual Reports on Form 10-K or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Spectrum
Brands Holdings also cautions the reader that its estimates of trends,
market share, retail consumption of its products and reasons for changes
in such consumption are based solely on limited data available to
Spectrum Brands Holdings and management's reasonable assumptions about
market conditions, and consequently may be inaccurate, or may not
reflect significant segments of the retail market.
Spectrum Brands Holdings also cautions the reader that undue reliance
should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, which speak only
as of the date of this release. Spectrum Brands Holdings undertakes no
duty or responsibility to update any of these forward-looking statements
to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to
reflect actual outcomes.
