credits: iStockphoto

Add a title

Add a caption

Apparently it’s a done deal. Evenflo Company, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Ameda Breastfeeding Products from Hollister Incorporated of Libertyville, IL. The deal is expected to close in January, 2008 pending completion of contractual requirements.

The acquisition of Ameda represents a defining moment in Evenflo’s ongoing strategy to deliver products and services that are “Best for Baby” and moms. Extensive scientific research worldwide shows that breastfeeding is the preferred feeding method for newborns and infants. With the addition of Ameda, a leading maker of hospital grade breast pumps and accessories, Evenflo is elevating its commitment to breastfeeding.

“Evenflo is dedicated to developing and marketing products that are ‘Best for Baby’ and, by extension, best for mothers too,” said Rob Matteucci, CEO of Evenflo. “We want to support moms with the highest-quality breast pumps and accessories to make it as easy as possible for moms who want to breastfeed to do so. The addition of Ameda to our family of products further expands our ability to provide moms the widest range of options to enhance their breastfeeding experience.”

Evenflo will retain the Ameda brand name, which is widely respected within the professional breastfeeding community and among lactation experts. Under the Evenflo umbrella, Ameda will continue to serve its core institutional market, while expanding its reach into the premium consumer retail market. The combined resources of the two companies create a “best-in-class” breastfeeding business, integrating Ameda’s product development expertise and strong reputation in the professional medical sector with Evenflo’s strong retail and consumer marketing experience, leading to significant synergies.

Evenflo plans to retain the Ameda employees to maintain industry knowledge, and to open a dedicated Ameda office in the Chicago area to enable continuity and minimal disruption to the business.

To further underscore its commitment to breastfeeding, Evenflo has also pledged to become the first baby bottle manufacturer in the U.S. to achieve compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. The WHO Code was created in 1981 as a guide for marketing practices of infant formula, bottle and nipple manufacturers to ensure that breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles and nipples are not marketed inappropriately.

As part of its pledge, Evenflo will immediately take the following three steps:

• discontinue all bottle/nipple advertising directed to consumers
• change our feeding packaging to align with WHO Code guidelines
• remove bottle/nipple images from our Web site.

At the same time, Evenflo will continue to innovate in its core bottle and nipple products, and work closely with retail partners to ensure broad-scale availability for moms who do not breastfeed or do not breastfeed exclusively. Ameda already meets all the requirements of the WHO Code.

“The WHO code is designed to promote and protect breastfeeding around the world, and Evenflo’s decision to help support this important objective by becoming Code compliant is to be congratulated,” said Marsha Walker, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy.

“I believe Evenflo’s actions will help encourage moms and remove barriers to breastfeeding in the U.S. I’m gratified to see Evenflo and Ameda delivering on their promise to develop and market products in a manner that will not interfere with or impede breastfeeding,” said Walker.

“This is an exciting time for Evenflo and Ameda,” Matteucci said. “After months of intense studying and planning, Evenflo’s management team and our board of directors, as well as Ameda’s management, are convinced that this acquisition represents a value-added combination which will grow Evenflo’s and Ameda’s business and enable us to become leaders in the fast-growing breastfeeding category.”