Henkel acquires North American professional hair care player

14-Mar-2017 - Last updated on 14-Mar-2017 at 15:05 GMT

Related tags Professional hair care United states Henkel

Germany-based consumer goods giant Henkel has increased its footprint in the North America professional hair care category with the acquisition of Mexican business Nattura Laboratorie.

Headquartered in Guadalajara, the company has associated operations in the USA, Colombia and Spain, giving Henkel expanded international footing in a category that has been enjoying above average industry growth rates.

Geographically, it also extends Henkel’s reach into two important markets in the developing Latin America region – specifically Mexico, which is the second largest economy in the region, and Colombia, which is the fourth largest economy in the region and has been enjoying a prolonged period of growth.

Giving leverage in North America

But Henkel executives believe that the real focus of the acquisition will prove to be in the highly developed and fast-paced North American market for professional hair care.

“This acquisition is part of our strategy to strengthen our position in attractive markets and categories,” said Henkel CEO Hans Van Bylen.

“We will expand our Hair Professional business in Mexico and further leverage our brand portfolio in the US hair professional market.”

The brand portfolio

The transaction will also include a number of core professional hair care brands that are expected to compliment a category that Henkel is already established in.

Henkel’s biggest hair care brand is Schwarzkopf, but in the professional hair care arena it owns four brands, including Clynol and Indola, which it created a separate business division for at the end of last year.

The major brands in the newly acquired portfolio including Pravana and Tec Italy, which, combined with the rest of the newly acquired portfolio is said to equal yearly sales of more than €100 million.

Professional hair colouring market

In particular, this gives Henkel further leverage in the professional hair colouring market, boosting its position to make it one of the key players in this category, worldwide.

“The high-performance and high-quality brands of Nattura Laboratorios are a perfect fit for our Beauty Care business,” said Pascal Houdayer, executive vice president responsible for Henkel’s Beauty Care business.

“They will complete our Hair Professional Colorants core category and will reinforce Henkel’s global No. 3 position in this business. Moreover, this transaction will provide a platform for further growth in the attractive Latin American market.”