Lancaster Colony Commercial Products Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corp., sold substantially all of its assets to Lancaster Commercial Products LLC, a privately held organization owned by Frederick Haleluk, whose additional holdings include Mr. Ice Bucket and Metallo Gasket of New Brunswick, N.J.
The business now operates as Lancaster Commercial Products LLC under the direction of Ken Evans as president, who formerly served as president of Lancaster Colony Commercial Products Inc.
The acquisition brings together two long-standing suppliers of housewares and giftware products. Mr. Ice Bucket has been in business since 1965, with a majority of sales in retail segments. Lancaster Commercial Products’ history dates back to 1978 serving the hospitality/hotel and restaurant markets. Building on those successes, Lancaster Commercial Products introduced several product lines within the past decade, including the Italian-made PFOA-free, nonstick, ceramic-coated PENSOFAL bakeware and cookware collections for the gourmet at home, as well as LUCARIS titanium, lead-free crystal stemware by Ocean Glass of Thailand.
“This is an exciting opportunity,” said Haleluk. “The transaction brings together two successful companies with complementary product lines and reputable market brands. The creative, innovative and technical skills of Mr. Ice Bucket will harmonize well with the superior customer service, extensive production capacity and structural fortitude of Lancaster Commercial Products. With our outstanding employees, and a combined history of more than 50 years in the retail arena, our customers can take advantage of increased scale, from faster delivery through multiple locations to an expanded catalog of housewares and giftware. We will plan for accelerated growth by leveraging our enhanced strengths in geographical coverage and customer relationships.”
Mr. Ice Bucket and Lancaster Commercial Products LLC will both operate independently under the common ownership of Haleluk, who will serve as CEO and chairman of the board.
According to Ken Evans, president of Lancaster Commercial Products LLC, business will continue to be conducted as usual. “We remain committed to the mission of providing products and exceptional service to customers among our core markets,” said Evans. “We do not foresee significant changes in key personnel or in the business agreements we have in place with our customers, suppliers or partners at this time.”
