Evonik sells Stoko skin care to Deb Group
Evonik Industries is selling its global line of skin care products for professionals, a business that the company bundles under the brand name Stoko Professional Skin Care
- Complementary business with strong innovation capacity and high quality product portfolios
- Excellent position with professional skin care products
Evonik Industries is selling its global line of skin care products for professionals, a business that the company bundles under the brand name Stoko Professional Skin Care. The purchase agreement was signed on 19 March 2014 with the buyer, the Deb Group of Denby, Great Britain, a global leader on the market for skin care systems used in occupational and public settings. The transaction closing is anticipated in two months, pending approval by the Evonik Supervisory Board and by the German anti-trust authorities. The contracting parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
“We continue to direct our portfolio toward high-margin specialty chemicals businesses," said Patrik Wohlhauser, a member of the Evonik Executive Board. "While Stoko Professional Skin Care enjoys an excellent reputation on the market, its business model fundamentally differs from that of Evonik today. As such, we have decided on a buyer that can best realise the growth potential of the business. We believe that Deb will be a good home for Stoko and its people.”
For the Deb Group, the acquisition is part of a clear growth strategy aimed at continuing to strengthen the company's position as a global leader on the skin care market. The Stoko purchase particularly stands to benefit the Deb Group by strengthening its market position in Europe and the US. In addition, with the help of Stoko, Deb plans to increasingly expand into the new markets of Russia and Brazil. Stoko's strengths in product quality, service and innovation are a complement to the Deb Group's sales channels and broad product portfolio. Its innovative business also makes the Stoko brand a powerful addition to the Deb Group line-up.
“It has been a long standing ambition of Deb's to join forces with Stoko. We want to create the world's most comprehensive and effective skin care product range for the workplace drawing on the significant innovation portfolio within both companies. This, combined with information provided by Deb's unique compliance monitoring technology, will fundamentally alter and improve standards of skin care behaviour,” commented Bryan Anderson, CEO of Deb.
Stoko develops, produces and markets products for professional skin protection, as well as cleansing, care and disinfection. The company's production sites are in Germany (Krefeld), the US (Greensboro) and Russia (Podolsk).
