Zodiac Marine sale expected to close soon

BRUSSELS and STEVENSVILLE, Md. – Carlyle Group of Luxembourg, the European affiliate of the Washington, D.C.-based private equity group, received “competition clearance” from the European Commission this week to purchase the marine division of Zodiac, according to a Reuters report.

The sale, which is expected to close by the end of the month, is a “real plus” for Zodiac’s inflatable boat business, according to J.J. Marie, president and CEO of Zodiac of North America, Inc.

The company will no longer be “the fifth wheel,” Marie said in an interview this morning, and is expected to benefit from additional resources, which may go toward new product development and acquisitions.

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