Spain’s Fluidra SA and residential pool equipment manufacturer Zodiac Pool Solutions have merged.
The combined company will keep the Fluidra name and continue to be listed on the Spanish stock exchange.
Fluidra will maintain its global headquarters in Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain and North American headquarters in Vista, San Diego, California. Fluidra executive president Eloi Planes will remain executive chairman of its board of directors, and former Zodiac CEO Bruce Brooks will be the company’s CEO.
Fluidra now has 5500 employees and a presence in over 45 countries.
Local mergers in the different countries will be made gradually.
“The successful completion of our merger with Zodiac positions us as a leader in the global pool industry. Together, we have the most widely recognized brands, a broad portfolio of innovative products and solutions, and a strong financial position to create significant value for all of our stakeholders – customers, shareholders and employees” said Planes. “Our future is very bright.”
“I am looking forward to working with our team to create an organization that stands apart from the pack,” said Brooks. “We will be guided by clear values, focused on exceeding our customers’ needs and driven to solve challenges through useful innovation — all in an effort to keep on adding value to our customers’ businesses.”
As part of the European Commission approval of the transaction, Fluidra will divest its Aquatron unit, the Israeli manufacturer of robotic pool cleaners with distribution primarily in Europe. Fluidra will still maintain a strong global presence across the automatic pool cleaning category, which includes pressure, suction and robotic pool cleaners. Aquatron will continue to serve its customers in a normal way as a leading supplier of robotic pool cleaners.
