Bodyshop magazine reported last week that the US paint manufacturer Valspar had announced the takeover of the Dutch refinish supplier De Beer.

De Beers Sales and Marketing Director Richard Jongsma told the magazine, “The two companies are a perfect strategic match as Valspar is very strong in Mexico and North America whilst De Beer is strong in Europe and the rest of the world. In fact, we sell De Beer refinish paints in 88 countries. The take-over will help us grow and having a mother company with the great resources of Valspar - a $2 billion corporation - gives us access to their resources, products, industries and warehousing.”

According to Jongsma, De Beer will retain its existing management structure and continue to operate autonomously. Unlike new parent Valspar, whose own brand is not currently represented in the European automotive refinish sector, De Beers produces exclusively for the refinish trade.