UK Value Investor

In 1999 Reckitt & Coleman merged with Benckiser to form Reckitt Benckiser (RB).  At the time Reckitt & Coleman were a leading global household products company with most of their turnover generated by brands with number one or two market positions.  Benckiser was in a similar position with household cleaning products, especially their dishwasher brands including Finish, and the water softener Calgon.

At the time the CEO to be, Bart Becht said “Reckitt Benckiser will be the world number one household cleaning company and has the potential to create significant value for shareholders” and that “the merged company will benefit from new growth opportunities and a clear growth strategy, through focus on high growth core categories, raising the rate of innovation and brand investment, and from cross selling opportunities and scale benefits”.