Leggett & Platt to Acquire Elite Comfort Solutions, Specialty Foam Producer

November 9, 2018  by Laurie Northington in Acquisition, Industry   

The transaction has been approved by the company’s Board of Directors and is expected to close in January 2019, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. 

ECS, a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners (Arsenal), is a leader in proprietary specialized foam technology primarily for the bedding and furniture industries.  ECS's annual sales for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 were $611 million.

With 16 facilities across the U.S., ECS operates a vertically integrated model, producing specialty foam, developing many of the chemicals and additives used in foam production, and manufacturing private-label finished products. These innovative specialty foam products include finished mattresses sold through both traditional and online channels, mattress components, mattress toppers and pillows, and furniture foams. 

ECS is expected to generate double-digit sales growth and strong EBITDA margins that should be accretive to company average margins. Due to impacts from purchase accounting, ECS is expected to have a slightly negative effect on consolidated EBIT margins.

For modeling purposes, in 2019, Leggett anticipates net interest expense of approximately $90 million, fully diluted shares of 136 million, and an approximate 23 percent tax rate. Including these factors, the acquisition is expected to be neutral to EPS in 2019 and accretive to EPS beginning in 2020.

"Through the combination of Leggett & Platt and Elite Comfort Solutions, we will become the leading provider of differentiated products for the bedding industry and gain critical capabilities in proprietary foam technology, along with scale in the production of private-label finished mattresses,” said Karl G. Glassman, president and CEO of Leggett & Platt.