Church & Dwight Joins Growing List of Consumer Giants That Are Reshaping Through M&A

More than six years after acquiring Brillo from Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD), Armaly Brands made another deal with the consumer products producer. Church & Dwight joins an expanding list of consumer giants that are trimming slow-growing businesses. Armaly acquired the Cameo copper and brass cleaner, Snobol toilet bowl cleaner and the Parsons’ ammonia brands from Church & Dwight. Financial terms were not disclosed. Church & Dwight, based in Ewing, New Jersey, owns the Arm & Hammer, Nair, Orajel and OxiClean brands. “We’re excited to increase access to these products through our retail partners and introduce these trusted brands to new households around the world,” says Armaly CEO John Armaly. Walled Lake, Michigan-based Armaly purchased Brillo from Church & Dwight in 2010. Earlier in 2016, Church & Dwight purchased Toppik, a product that treats thinning hair, for $175 million. Church & Dwight mentioned in its 2015 annual report that acquisitions are part of the company’s growth strategy. Strategic buyers are reshuffling their businesses by shedding slow-growing brands and making acquisitions in their core divisions in an effort to boost profitability. Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) has plans to sell 105 brands, including 40-plus beauty brands to Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY). The company recently completed the sale of Duracell batteries to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A) and agreed to sell the global license and certain assets of the Christina Aguilera fragrance business to the Elizabeth Arden Inc. (Nasdaq: RDEN). ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is selling the JM Swank food ingredient distribution business to Platinum Equity. The company is in the process of spinning off the Lamb Weston frozen french fries division into a separate publicly-traded company and completed the sale of its private label division. Newell Brands (NYSE: NWL) is also buying and selling. The company, which won Mergers & Acquisitions' 2015 M&A Mid-Market Award for Strategic Buyer of the Year, agreed to sell Levolor and Kirsch window covering brands to Hunter Douglas for $270 million. In 2015, Newell paid $600 million for Elmer’s Product’s Inc.