Domtar Completes Attends Acquisition

Domtar Corp., Montreal, Que., Canada, this past week completed its acquisition of Attends Healthcare Inc. from KPS Capital Partners, L.P. for $315 million, pursuant to a definitive agreement entered into on August 12. Attends produces a complete line of incontinence care products and washcloths marketed primarily under the Attends brand name. The management team of Attends will remain in place, and the acquired business will be presented as a reportable segment in Domtar's financial statements.

Attends has a wide product offering encompassing more than 170 SKUs, and it serves a diversified customer base in multiple channels throughout the U.S. and Canada. It operates a 775,000 sq ft facility with nine production lines and a state-of-the-art distribution center in Greenville, N.C. Attends had approximately 330 employees, annual sales of approximately $200 million, and an estimated run-rate EBITDA of $39 million.

"This is a good transaction that allows us to take measured steps into the consumer products market in a product area where high single-digit global growth is expected," said John D. Williams, president and CEO of Domtar. "We believe there is the potential to double Attends' earnings within five years and we are committed to unleashing the great organic growth potential. With this acquisition, we will consume internally some of our high quality Lighthouse fluff pulp produced in our nearby Plymouth, N.C., mill. Domtar will continue to look for innovative ways to build growing businesses based on sustainable wood fiber."

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/