Cussons snaps up St Tropez tan brand

PZ CUSSONS, owner of soap brands Imperial Leather and Carex, has bought tanning lotion company St Tropez from private equity group LDC for £62.5 million.

St Tropez, based near Nottingham, sells self-tanning products mainly in the UK and Australia and posted pre-tax profits of 7.4m on revenues of 20.7m for the year to the end of July.

PZ Cussons said the deal would complement the The Sanctuary business it bought in 2008, which includes a spa in Covent Garden as well as a line of personal care products.

It hopes to exploit the St Tropez distribution network - which includes Boots, Superdrug, Debenhams, Sainsbury's and John Lewis - to sell its Sanctuary range.

Graham Jones, an analyst at Panmure Gordon, said the move was an "excellent acquisition done at an attractive price".