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THORNTON & ROSS LTD LICENSES "K-Y JELLY" BRAND FROM RECKITT BENCKISER

  • 15/06/2016
  • Press Release

Thornton & Ross Ltd, based in Huddersfield, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Reckitt Benckiser (RB) for the K-Y Jelly brand in the UK. K-Y Jelly is a well-known personal lubricant brand, with sales through a broad retail distribution base, as well as to the hospital sector. The licensing deal will be for an eight year period, and follows the global acquisition of the K-Y brand by RB from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in 2014.

In the UK, this acquisition was reviewed by the Competition and Markets Authority, who allowed it to proceed on the condition that K-Y be licensed to a third party for eight years. RB is pleased to appoint T & R as the licensee.

The transfer of ownership from J&J to RB will take place shortly, and will be followed by the licensing out to Thornton & Ross. Commenting on the purchase, Dieno George the Chief Executive of Thornton & Ross, said that K-Y Jelly would add to the company's growing range of well-known UK brands, and would bring exciting new opportunities. Mr George added that K-Y Jelly would also benefit from Thornton & Ross' considerable strength and experience in manufacturing pharmaceutical quality cream and gel products, and medical devices.

Thornton & Ross Ltd. manufactures and markets a range of consumer and prescription medical products, including Covonia cough medicines, Hedrin head lice treatment, the Care range of medicines, the Cetraben and Zero dermatological brands, Flexitol footcare products and the Fultium range of Vitamin D3 products via its Internis subsidiary. The company is a subsidiary of STADA Arzneimittel AG which is based in Bad Vilbel, Germany.

Luc Slegers, the STADA Regional Director for Europe commented that the licensing deal for K-Y Jelly is part of the STADA Group's continued development of a strong branded portfolio, and builds upon the Centre of Excellence for OTC and prescription dermatology, which the company has established at Thornton & Ross as part of the STADA Group.