Lagasse, Inc. completes acquisition of Sweet Paper companies

Jun 01, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. United Stationers Inc. announced that its Lagasse, Inc. subsidiary completed the purchase of the stock of Sweet Paper Corp. and substantially all of the assets of Sweet Paper Group, a privately-held wholesale distributor of janitorial/sanitation, paper, and foodservice products, in a cash transaction. The Sweet Paper companies generate combined annual sales of approximately $250 million and are headquartered in Hialeah, Florida. "We are excited to have completed this important acquisition, which will enable us to expand the Lagasse product line, and enhance our scale and infrastructure in key markets that include the Southeast, California, Texas and Massachusetts," said Richard W. Gochnauer, president and chief executive officer of United Stationers. "Sweet Paper brings experienced management and personnel, valuable relationships, and new capabilities to our already strong janitorial/sanitation operation." "We are extremely pleased to welcome the Sweet Paper associates to the Lagasse and United Stationers' teams," added Gochnauer. "Together, we look forward to providing all of our existing and new customers with enhanced product and service offerings." "The merger of Lagasse and Sweet Paper represents an important step in our strategic planning process. We believe this acquisition will be accretive to earnings in 2006 and will position us for continued growth and success in this category," concluded Gochnauer. "The acquisition of Sweet Paper provides 10 additional distribution facilities to augment the 24 facilities in Lagasse's nationwide network," explained Steve Schultz, president of Lagasse. "We anticipate that our combined operations will allow us to become more efficient, to improve our service, and to expand our reach, our customer base and the channels we serve."