Private-equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC has struck a deal to buy Fort Dearborn Co. and Multi-Color Corp. and merge the label manufacturers, people familiar with the matter said.
The deal, which is expected to be unveiled later Friday, values the combined company at around $6 billion including debt, the people said.
The closely held companies supply labels for products such as wine and spirits, home- and personal-care products and paints and chemicals. Based in Elk Grove, Ill., Fort Dearborn is dominant in North America, while Cincinnati-based Multi-Color has an extensive global presence. Together, they have annual sales of about $3 billion.
CD&R is buying Fort Dearborn and Multi-Color from private-equity firms Advent International Corp. and Platinum Equity, respectively. Advent acquired Fort Dearborn in 2016 from Denver-based KRG Capital Partners. Platinum took Multi-Color private in 2019 in a deal valued at $2.5 billion including debt and merged it with a subsidiary of its portfolio company WS Packaging Group, another label maker.
