The Irish-owned household appliance firm Glen Dimplex has acquired a German rival; the move makes the company the largest in that country's electric heater market.
Glen Dimplex said it bought AKO Ismet Elektrogerate, based at Kisslegg, but would not say how much the deal was worth. The German firm has an annual turnover of £25 million, 1,000 employees, and sells a range of portable electric heaters, small domestic appliances and electric barbecues.
Glen Dimplex's chief executive, Mr Sean O'Driscoll, said no other part of the group's operations made such barbecues, and that he could see scope for expansion in this area.
"We think that product could have a lot of potential for us, particularly under our own existing brand name," he added.
In 1990, Glen Dimplex bought the electric heating division of Siemens, giving the Irish group a significant presence in the German market. The latest acquisition leaves Glen Dimplex accounting for around 25 per cent of all electric heater purchases, the largest single market share.
Mr O'Driscoll said the deal had only been signed last Saturday, and Glen Dimplex had not yet studied the operations closely enough to say whether there would be lay-offs.
Glen Dimplex employs 6,000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of more than £500 million.
