Following Newell Rubbermaid’s acquisition of US competitor Jarden in 2015 (see Plasteurope.com of 16.12.2015), the resultant consumer goods giant Newell Brands (Hoboken, New Jersey / USA; www.newellbrands.com) now wants to downsize. Among other things, it wants to sell off its plastics-oriented divisions, Rubbermaid Outdoor and Rubbermaid Commercial. The Rubbermaid storage crate business was sold at the beginning of 2017 (see Plasteurope.com of 24.01.2017).

According to the plans, half the factories and warehouses are to be divested. The company says it is exploring “strategic options” for various brands from the industry and commercial products segments and the smaller consumer product brands such as Rawlings, Goody, Rubbermaid Outdoor and the United States Playing Card Company. The aim is to complete the transactions by the end of 2019. The leaner group will then be able to focus clearly on its core business of consumer goods.

In spring 2017, Newell split from ski manufacturers K2 (Carlsbad, California / USA; www.k2sports.com) and Völkl (Straubing / Germany; www.voelkl.com) as well as ski boots manufacturer Dalbello (Casella D'Asolo / Italy; www.dalbello.it – see Plasteurope.com of 06.06.2017).

Last year, the company tried in vain to gain the confidence of investors but its share price fell by a half. It said turnover in 2017 suffered among other things from the sluggish demand for its own brands, supply bottlenecks as a result of hurricane Harvey and the insolvency of Toys“R”Us. Instead of the expected 1.5-2% growth, according to provisional figures, sales rose by only 0.8%. With the realignment, Newell will be better equipped for future success in dynamic times, says CEO Michael Polk.