Arbor Investments Announces the Recapitalization of Bradshaw International, Inc.
For Immediate Release
Arbor Investments, based in Chicago, Illinois, announced today that it has completed the recapitalization of Bradshaw International, Inc. Bradshaw, headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California, is one of the largest U.S. designers, marketers and category managers of high-quality, value-oriented branded and private label kitchen gadgets, bakeware, cookware and home cleaning supplies. The Company sells product under the nationally recognizable Good Cook™, Oneida®, Bialetti®, Mr. Clean® Cleaning Tools, Bonny®, Butler Home Products®, and Dawn® brands in over 30,000 retail locations. Terms of the transaction were withheld.
Over the last 39 years, Bradshaw International has quietly become one of the premier companies in the housewares industry. The Company is well known for its outstanding line of over 4,000 household products which range from can openers, pizza cutters and spatulas to baking sheets, cookware sets and mops and brooms. Bradshaw will continue to operate out of its state of the art distribution facilities in southern California in addition to offices located in Hong Kong; Bentonville, Arkansas; Marlborough, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York; Pleasanton, California; Portland, Oregon; and San Antonio, Texas.
The Bradshaw family’s long history of owning food and beverage businesses dates back to 1905 when they established RD Bradshaw & Sons Honey Company in Payette, Idaho. Bradshaw International, founded in 1969 by Buzz Bradshaw and his two sons Doug and Ben, emerged out of the family’s 1966 purchase of Los Angeles based Ray Welles Food Brokerage Company. Doug Bradshaw, current Chairman of Bradshaw International, and fourth-generation Bradshaw family members Brett and Scott Bradshaw remain in senior management.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Bradshaw family in continuing the tradition of this fine company,” said Gregory Purcell, Arbor CEO. “Bradshaw’s management and employees have created an extremely well run business with excellent distribution in supermarkets, mass merchandisers, specialty and value stores across North America.”
“Arbor is a great fit for us as we share many of the same customers with its numerous portfolio companies,” said Doug Bradshaw. “They recognize our company’s enormous potential and have the requisite financial resources to fund our growth. We share a common desire to invest in our strategy of continuous product innovation, creative marketing and unparalleled customer service. We have a first rate management team led by Michael Rodrigue and supported by my nephew and son that will continue to drive the growth of our family business.”
Arbor Investments is a specialized private equity firm that invests in the food, beverage and related industries. The firm has $258 million of capital under management. Barrington Associates advised the sellers and Bingham McCutchen LLP provided legal counsel. DLA Piper LLP (US) served as Arbor’s legal counsel on the transaction.
For more information, please contact Arbor’s Richard Boos at 312-981-3778 or Bradshaw’s Brett Bradshaw at 909-476-3884.