Church & Dwight has offloaded two of its vitamin brands following a strategic review to focus on its remaining power brands.
The personal care company has agreed to sell VitaFusion and L’il Critters to Piping Rock Health Products, a US-based global manufacturer of vitamins and supplements.
The deal includes trademarks and licenses related to the brands, as well as Church & Dwight’s manufacturing and distribution facilities in Vancouver, Canada and Ridgefield, Washington, US.
“We believe Piping Rock, a company with deep experience in the vitamin business, will be a successful steward for VitaFusion and L’il Critters,” said Rick Dierker, CEO of Church & Dwight.
“This sale immediately makes our company’s portfolio stronger, while enabling even more focus on Church & Dwight’s remaining power brands driving our market-leading performance and our forward-looking growth initiatives.”
The majority of VitaFusion and L’il Critters staff will become employees of Piping Rock.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, and the sale is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Church & Dwight, which also owns Batiste hair care and hair remover brand Nair, announced a strategic review of its vitamin, minerals and supplement (VMS) business in August.
At the time, Dierker said options on the table included streamlining its supply chain to strengthen the core business, new joint venture or partnership opportunities, as well as divestiture.
VMS currently makes up less than 5% of Church & Dwight’s anticipated 2025 sales, the company said in a statement.
As a result of the deal, the company expects a one-off impairment charge of between US$40m and $45m in the fourth quarter.