Acquisition in the USA

The Mannheim-based German company, Freudenberg Haushaltsprodukte, has acquired O’Cedar Brands of Springfield, Ohio, the US manufacturer of brooms, mops and brushes. Vileda’s parent company is integrating the new acquisition into its American subsidiary Freudenberg Household Products of Northlake, Illinois. According to a press release, the group has plans for further acquisitions in the mechanical housewares segment over the next two years. Most recently O’Cedar generated annual sales of approx. US $ 75 mio (€ 60 mio). Vileda’s worldwide sales totalled approx. € 550 mio in 2003, and the Freudenberg group had overall sales of approx. € four bn.