Bradford Soap Works Acquires Hewitt Soap

Bradford Soap Works, West Warwick, RI, acquired Hewitt Soap last month. A purchase price was not disclosed. The move brings together the No. 1 (Bradford) and No. 2 (Hewitt) players in the bar soap segment. At the same time, the acquisition expands Bradford’s lead as the largest player in the soap market with annual sales “just south of $100 million,” according to company executives.

Steve LeGraw, president and chief executive officer of Bradford, said the acquisition highlights the synergies between the two companies. “Bradford had a strong relationship with Bath & Body Works, Aveda, Origins and other ‘middle-of-the-mall’ brands,” explained Mr. LeGraw. “Hewitt had longer relationships with Estee Lauder and other brands sold in anchor department stores.”

Offering complete service goes far beyond the shopping mall parking lot, however. “We acquired Hewitt because it brings together two great and similar companies that will enable us to build a platform of service for our customers,” observed Bradford chairman John Howland.

Both Bradford executives insist that the company has no plans to close facilities at the present time. In fact, the Hewitt plants in Dayton, OH and Columbus, IN will complement the Bradford production plants in West Warwick, RI and Chester, UK.

Although still in the planning stages, one facility will be used to produce trendy products that must be changed on a regular basis to keep up with market trends. Another two will specialize in contract business and/or commodity products such as soap noodles and specialty chemicals. Meanwhile, the UK plant will service customers based in Europe.

“As our customers’ products and needs evolve we’ll be able to change right along with them and keep costs down at the same time,” insisted Mr. LeGraw. “With focused plants there is no limit to where our customers can go. Now we have the best of all possible worlds.

At the same time, Hewitt customers can take advantage of the state-of-the-art data and production systems that Bradford has put in place in recent years as well as the trend forecasting services that Bradford’s customer have used for more than a year.

“Bradford has sharpened its image and changed the paradigm of how we work with our customers,” explained Mr. Howland. “We identify trends and understand the markets and that helps our customers bring innovative products to the market.”

Although the deal was just completed, the Bradford executives insist that customers of both companies realize the benefits of the acquisition. “Estee Lauder and Nu Skin both know Bradford,” explained Mr. Le Graw. “They know we have presented a lot of new ideas and they think it’s a good combination.”