Content about Acquisition

ALBANY, Ga. — Equinox Chemicals has announced that it has acquired Adco Cleaning Products, based in Sedalia, Mo. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Equinox will move Adco’s manufacturing operations to its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Albany, according to Yalda Harris, Equinox’s executive vice president for Global Product Management. Dr. Jim Schreiner, Adco’s chief product technology officer, will also be relocating, she says.

Customer-service and order-taking staff will remain in Sedalia, and there will be no changes to the way customers or distributors order from Adco, Harris adds. The national sales team will remain the same.

Nine operator jobs and one office employee have been relocated to Albany, with many key employees receiving relocation package offers, according to Harris.

Equinox is a specialty chemical manufacturer with specialty research, innovation, product development and commercialization capabilities that reach markets spanning the globe, the company says.

NEW YORK — Vasken Ohanyan sits at his work table in the middle of Continental Cleaners in the Inwood section of Manhattan. Piled around him are measuring tapes, fabrics and thread. The walls are lined with racks of cleaned garments. By the storefront picture window, there’s a fitting room and a rack of abandoned garments for sale.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The German company Ziermann Holding is buying all of Sail Star GmbH & Co. KG’s shares of Böwe Textile Cleaning GmbH. The agreement will include Böwe subsidiaries in Spain, China and the U.K.

The sale and transfer will be effective Jan. 1, 2010, and at the end of the year, the Böwe production unit in Augsburg, Germany, will close.

LANCASTER, Pa. — Gorman Distributors has purchased the right to conduct business for Howard Enterprises, Harrisburg, Pa.

The purchase expands Gorman’s customer base, and Gorman will continue to provide service to Howard’s customers and expand product selections, Gorman says. The purchase, along with recently picked up distributorships for R&B Wire Products, Rema Dri-Vac Corp., Solomatic and others, has made the company into a national supplier.

CINCINNATI — Zoots Corp. has sold Widmer’s Cleaners, the large Cincinnati-based chain it bought out in 1999, to the operation’s management team. Last week, Zoot’s sold or closed nine Connecticut stores, and appears to be consolidating nationwide.

Widmer’s changed ownership early this month, says Steve Carico, managing member, after about six months of talks. Newton, Mass.-based Zoots purchased Widmer’s shortly after startup to learn the business, in hopes of becoming a nationwide drycleaning brand.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Industry consolidator U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp. (USDC) announced last week that it has signed an acquisition agreement with Honolulu, Hawaii-based Robinson Corp., operator of the prominent Caesars Cleaners chain.

Under the agreement, U.S. Dry Cleaning will acquire Robinson Corp. for $2.15 million in cash, debt and common stock. The transaction will be completed before the end of 2007, following customary closing conditions.