Reckitt buys SSL for £2.5bn
Brand owner to add Scholl to portfolio
Reckitt Benckiser has acquired SSL International for £2.5bn, pending the approval of shareholders and regulators. The deal looks set to give Reckitt ownership of SSL International’s Scholl business, which includes branded foot care products.
According to Reckitt’s ceo Bart Becht, the acquisition of SSL, whose brands also include Durex condoms, will increase the company’s health and personal care business sales by one third and improve its position in China and Japan. SSL does not hold Scholl in the Americas, however, where Merck is the brand owner.