Sara Lee sells Louis Marcel hair removal brand to Stafford-Miller

Healthcare business Stafford-Miller has bought hair removal brand Louis Marcel from the Sara Lee Corporation.

The brand is sold in the UK and is in direct competition with Immac, the established market leader from Reckitt & Colman. Louis Marcel is also particularly strong in southern European territories, mainly Italy and Spain.

The sale was concluded last week, after months of negotiations. Stafford-Miller staff were told of the acquisition earlier this week.

The company will initially use press and poster advertising to relaunch Louis Marcel.

A Stafford-Miller insider says: “We will take a look at the brand for a while before we decide what to do with it. It is a brand that we can push forward.”

Other Stafford-Miller brands include Setlers, Poli-Grip, Sensodyne and Dentu-Creme.

The company’s advertising is handled by Grey, while its media buying is split between CIA Media-network and MediaCom. It is understood that the Louis Marcel business will be divided between these agencies. Sara Lee does not have a creative agency for the Louis Marcel brand , but media is handled by Zenith Media.

Sara Lee is best known for its cake brands, but also owns healthcare lines such as Brylcreem, Badedas, and Radox.