NBTY to Acquire Rexall Sundown

Nutritional supplements maker NBTY (NBTY) agreed to acquire Rexall Sundown from Royal Numico of the Netherlands for $250 million in cash.

Rexall, itself a maker of supplements, had sales of $455 million last year. NBTY, which posted sales of $964 million in fiscal 2002, expects to close the acquisition in July.

Rexall's portfolio of nutritional supplement brands includes Rexall, Sundown, Osteo Bi-Flex, CarbSolutions and MET-Rx. NBTY said the transaction will complement its existing wholesale products and provide an enhanced sales infrastructure and additional manufacturing capacity.

Numico paid $1.8 billion to acquire Rexall in 2000.

NBTY markets products under several brands, including Nature's Bounty, Vitamin World and Puritan's Pride.

Shares of NBTY were gaining $2.95, or 17%, to $20.26 in recent Nasdaq trading.