• The [London] Times, Dallas Morning News, Tuesday, January 27, 2009 10:30 AM

Unilever is adding the Bed Head, Catwalk and S-Factor lines to its portfolio of hair care products after paying $411.5 million to brothers Bruno, Guy and Anthony Mascolo for Dallas-based TIGI, owner of the Toni & Guy hair products empire. It had sales of $250 million last year, according to the Dallas Morning News, and the brothers will stay on as consultants. The deal does not include the world-famous Toni & Guy hairdressing salons or the Toni & Guy brand.

The acquisition is the first big move by Paul Polman since he became CEO of Unilever at the beginning of this year. Analysts say that the deal is likely to be followed by further purchases in fast-growing sectors such as health and wellness and personal care and across developing and emerging markets.

Unilever says that, while it has strong mid-market and value haircare brands, it is under-represented at the premium end of the market, the Times's Ian King reports. It also says that TIGI's expertise in styling would also complement its own in shampoos and conditioners.

Read the whole story at The [London] Times, Dallas Morning News »