Strategy in TECH...
Nice, a global manufacturer of Smart Home, Security, and Home & Building Automation products based in Italy, announced today that it has acquired Nortek Security & Control – purchased from Melrose plc for $285 million. The move expands Nice’s portfolio and strengthens its North American presence.
Melrose plc, parent company to Nortek, Inc., has taken some serious incoming hits this month – hits from both major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service. And these hits hurt. Fitch was first when they announced a couple of weeks ago that in a review of GKN Holdings Limited – Melrose’s largest holding by far – it was maintaining its credit rating at current levels, but it was changing its future “Outlook” to “Negative.” Today, Moody’s announced they too were changing their outlook on GKN from “Ratings Under Review” to “Negative.”
Multiple sources are confirming to Strata-gee that Nortek Security & Control (NSC or Nortek) is planning to shut down two of their brands – Sunfire and the once iconic Niles. The move is said to be the result of their relative under-performance as the company shifts its focus to the apparently more successful brands, such as Elan.
Melrose Industries plc, the British turnaround specialist who acquires underperforming companies to improve their operations and management for resale, is now actively considering selling off the bulk of Nortek in a deal that could be worth $3 billion, according to reports from Bloomberg News and the Financial Times. If they actually execute this sale, it will be a relatively early exit from their ownership of Nortek which they purchased in 2016 for $2.8 billion.
The last ninety days or so have been somewhat turbulent at Nortek Security and Control (NSC), with two top executives departing under foggy circumstances. First, in May we learned that President Mike O’Neal had left the company. Then, last week, news emerged that Joe Roberts, Executive VP of Products and Marketing had also departed.
I reached out to Joe Roberts to try to find out what was up with all of these changes at NSC.
Our phones and email lit up over the last few days as word spread that Nortek Security and Control has fired all of the remaining Core Brands reps in the U.S., according to multiple sources. The timing of the terminations over the holidays only seems to add a sense of heartlessness to the action….a real-life ‘bah humbug’ that leaves the reps feeling cold.
Melrose PLC, owner of Nortek, including Nortek Security & Control, is openly talking to U.K. media about the likelihood of selling off Nortek – saying, in essence, their work is done, the turnaround is complete. This being the case, their thinking is that it is time to harvest their crop by selling off the company to reap their reward of profits.
