Henkel KGaA, the German-based industrial and consumer products group,announced recently that it will combine its 50 per cent stake in theHenkel-Ecolab joint venture with U.S hygiene specialists Ecolab Inc. Since1991, Henkel-Ecolab has operated as a joint venture of the two partners,providing cleaning and sanitising products in Europe. The agreement willpermit Henkel to increase its ownership in Ecolab Inc. to 35 per cent. Thetransaction is subject to regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions.Henkel generated sales of 9.4 billion euro in the first nine months of 2000.The transaction is scheduled to close January 2, 2002.
