Marine
Brunswick Acquires Kellogg Marine to Expand Boat Parts and Accessories Business
LAKE FOREST, Ill., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brunswick Corporation
(NYSE: BC) announced today that it has acquired Kellogg Marine, a leading
distributor of marine parts and accessories in the Northeast. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed. Based in Old Lyme, Conn., Kellogg will join
with the Brunswick Boat Group's Land 'N' Sea and Benrock units as part of the
largest distribution network of marine parts and accessories in North America.
"We are extremely pleased to welcome Kellogg Marine to our growing parts
and accessories (P&A) operations," explained Dustan E. McCoy, president of the
Brunswick Boat Group (BBG). "Kellogg is one of the oldest and most respected
names in the business as well as one of the fastest growing marine supply
distributors in the U.S. Its Connecticut location provides us with a vital
hub in the Northeast and is an integral part of achieving our goal of same-day
or next-day delivery of P&A from coast-to-coast and in Canada."
Brunswick began building a boat P&A business in 2003 with the acquisitions
of Land 'N' Sea and Attwood Marine. Since that time, the BBG has added new
facilities and purchased the assets of Benrock, another distributor, so that
today it has 16 locations throughout North America, including the Old Lyme
facility.
"Improving service and parts availability to our own boat dealers as well
as to the more than 10,000 independent dealers and repair shops is a key step
in our strategy to ultimately remove the hassles from boating, get boaters
back on the water faster and embrace our dealers with products and services
that will add value and profitability to their businesses," said Brunswick
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer George W. Buckley. "Kellogg will now
extend these capabilities to the Northeast."
"This acquisition will augment the Brunswick Boat Group in several ways,"
explained Randy Gray, vice president and general manager of the BBG P&A
business. "Kellogg has a modern, 90,000-square-foot warehouse and office
complex that is very efficient. Its employees are highly skilled, metric
driven, and its entrepreneurial management team, which is joining Brunswick,
will bring best-in-class operational methods and regional business knowledge
that will complement all of our P&A distribution businesses."
"With approximately 200 employees and more than 300 suppliers, Kellogg
Marine will continue to serve its more than 4,000 customers in the Northeast.
While Kellogg offers unmatched customer service in its territories, they will
deliver even more value to those customers in the future, as Kellogg benefits
from the additional resources and support of Brunswick," Gray said.
"Brunswick was clearly the choice for us," said Kellogg's Vice President
and General Manager Robert Staehle. "Brunswick's strong commitment to the
marine industry and its desire to improve after-market service to remove the
hassles from boating made this an easy -- and correct -- decision."
About Brunswick
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to
instill "Genuine Ingenuity"(TM) in all its leading consumer brands, including
Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and
inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron
electronic controls; Northstar marine electronics; Navman marine and GPS-based
products; IDS dealer management systems; Albemarle, Arvor, Baja, Bayliner,
Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian,
Ornvik, Palmetto, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Savage, Sea Boss, Sea Pro, Sea
Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts
and accessories; Land 'N' Sea and Kellogg marine parts and accessories
distributor; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment;
Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick
billiards tables; and Valley-Dynamo pool, Air Hockey and foosball tables. For
more information, visit http://www.brunswick.com .
SOURCE Brunswick Corporation
CONTACT: Dan Kubera, Director, Media Relations and Corporate
Communications, 1-847-735-4617, for Brunswick Corporation
Web site: http://www.brunswick.com
