German consumer chemicals producer Henkel has become the second largest company in North America’s laundry care market with the purchase of Sun Products for around €3.2 billion. Headquartered in Wilton, Connecticut, USA, the company was owned by private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners. As well as a portfolio of leading brands, Sun Products also develops and manufactures laundry products for leading retailers in North America at two production centers, along with one R&D center, and employs about 2,000 people.

Describing the acquisition as a major strategic move, Henkel CEO Hans van Bylen said North America is one of the most important regions worldwide for the company which has continued to expand through acquisition in the past several years.

The US accounts for the largest share of Henkel’s global sales. The company has three business units in North America: Laundry & Home Care; Beauty Care, and Adhesive Technologies, with total sales reaching more than €3.6 billion in 2015.

The German company’s last acquisition in the US was the September 2014 purchase of bought Bergquist, a supplier of thermal-management solutions for electronic applications based in Chanhassen, Minnesota.