The FMCG Unit of Wipro Ltd, has acquired premium personal care brand Yardley's businesses in UK and parts of Europe for an undisclosed sum, further expanding the geographies where it controls the brand.
The deal does not include Yardley’s business in Germany and Austria.
The company had earlier acquired the Yardley portfolio for Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Australasia from Lornamead in December 2009. Wipro will also acquire the
“Woods of Windsor†business, another heritage brand in the UK, which is well known for its floral fragrance-led portfolio in personal care segment. In December 2009, the company acquired Yardley portfolio for Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Australasia from UK’s Lornamead for $45.5 million.
Yardley was established in 1770 and has products in fragrance, bath and shower and skin care. The brand has changed hands in the past with Lornamead acquiring it from Proctor & Gamble in 2005.
Wipro Consumer Care, which manufactures lighting products besides FMCG products such as soaps, talcs, face wash and fairness cream as also hydrogenated cooking oil, said it is also acquiring the “Woods of Windsor†business, another heritage brand in the UK, which is well known for its floral fragrance-led portfolio in personal care segment.
Woods of Windsor is also part of Lornamead Group. Yardley was the second major global inorganic expansion deal struck by Wipro Consumer Care after it snapped up Unza, a Singapore-based FMCG major, for $256 million in 2007.
Last year, Wipro Consumer acquired privately held FMCG firm VVF’s soap brands Aramusk and Moloy (which were in turn acquired from German consumer product major Henkel). In the past it has also acquired brands like Chandrika, Glucovita and Northwest.
(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)