CR Brands

CR Brands, Inc. was an American private-label consumer goods company based in the Cincinnati area of Ohio. The business was created in 2006 when Allied Capital combined two portfolio companies, ChemPro, Inc. and Redox Brands. The name CR was formed from the initial letters of ChemPro and Redox. ChemPro had been established by former Procter & Gamble employees and owned a collection of household-product brands, including Oxydol, while Redox contributed additional consumer cleaning products and manufacturing capabilities. Following the combination, CR Brands became a platform for producing and marketing household cleaning and maintenance products. Its portfolio included Biz, Oxydol, Dryel, Mean Green, Pine Power, and Magnum Power. The company also manufactured and sold products under licensed Arm & Hammer and OxiClean names through agreements with Church & Dwight. Its business model combined owned or acquired consumer brands with private-label manufacturing and licensed-brand operations. Manufacturing associated with Redox products was moved to ChemPro facilities, including the company's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. CR Brands changed ownership several times. Allied Capital sold the company to Juggernaut Capital Partners in 2009 during a period of financial difficulty for Allied. In September 2012, Juggernaut sold CR Brands to Resilience Fund III LP, an investment vehicle associated with Resilience Capital Partners, based in Beachwood, Ohio. Resilience later described a 2018 management and growth initiative focused on niche brands and differentiated household-product categories. The portfolio was subsequently reduced through a series of divestitures. In 2018, CR Brands sold Mean Green and its United States and Canadian license for Roto-Rooter-branded drain-care products to RPM International, the parent company of Rust-Oleum. Fab+Kind Co. acquired Oxydol in 2019. In 2020, Scott's Liquid Gold Inc. acquired Biz and Dryel. These transactions removed several of the company's recognizable consumer brands and reduced the asset base remaining within CR Brands. After divesting its brands and other assets, CR Brands filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on March 16, 2023, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The petition reported no assets and approximately $21.9 million in liabilities, with between 100 and 199 creditors. The filing marked the end of the company's operations. CR Brands is therefore best understood as a defunct household-products platform rather than an active consumer brand house.

CR Brands originated in the restructuring and consolidation of household-products businesses owned by Allied Capital. In March 2006, Allied acquired ChemPro, Inc., a company founded by former Procter & Gamble employees. ChemPro controlled several former Procter & Gamble brands, including Oxydol. Allied subsequently combined ChemPro with Redox Brands, another portfolio company. The resulting company was named CR Brands, using the first letters of ChemPro and Redox. ChemPro's chief executive continued as chief executive after the combination, while Richard Owen became chief operating officer. The merger created a consumer-products platform with both brand ownership and manufacturing operations. Production of Redox products was shifted to ChemPro facilities, including manufacturing capacity in Spartanburg, South Carolina. CR Brands developed a portfolio spanning laundry care, household cleaning, fabric care, and drain maintenance. It sold owned brands such as Biz, Oxydol, Dryel, Mean Green, Pine Power, and Magnum Power. It also operated licensed businesses using the Arm & Hammer and OxiClean names, which were licensed from Church & Dwight. In 2009, Allied Capital sold CR Brands to Juggernaut Capital Partners. Juggernaut later sold the business in September 2012 to Resilience Fund III LP, affiliated with Resilience Capital Partners. Under Resilience ownership, CR Brands remained focused on consumer products and niche household brands. In 2018, Resilience announced that new leadership and a growth program were being introduced, with an emphasis on differentiated categories rather than broad-based consumer-goods expansion. The company then began disposing of important parts of its portfolio. In 2018, it sold Mean Green and the United States and Canadian license for Roto-Rooter drain-care products to RPM International. Oxydol was sold to Fab+Kind Co. in 2019. In 2020, Biz and Dryel were sold to Scott's Liquid Gold Inc. These transactions transferred several of CR Brands' principal consumer-facing assets to other owners and left the company with a substantially reduced operating platform. CR Brands ultimately ceased operations. On March 16, 2023, it filed a Chapter 7 petition for liquidation in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The filing stated that the company had no assets because its assets had already been divested, while liabilities were approximately $21.9 million and the creditor count was between 100 and 199. The bankruptcy marked the formal end of CR Brands as an operating company.

• 2023

  Chapter 7 liquidation

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  CR Brands filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation and reported no assets and approximately $21.9 million in liabilities.

• 2020

  Biz and Dryel are sold

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Scott's Liquid Gold Inc. acquired the Biz and Dryel brands.

• 2019

  Oxydol is sold

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Fab+Kind Co. acquired the Oxydol brand.

• 2018

  Mean Green and Roto-Rooter license are divested

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  RPM International acquired Mean Green and CR Brands' United States and Canadian Roto-Rooter drain-care license.

• 2012

  Resilience Capital Partners becomes owner

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Juggernaut sold CR Brands to Resilience Fund III LP, associated with Resilience Capital Partners.

• 2009

  Ownership passes to Juggernaut Capital Partners

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Allied Capital sold CR Brands to Juggernaut Capital Partners.

• 2006

  ChemPro and Redox are combined to form CR Brands

  [1]CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Allied Capital merged ChemPro, Inc. and Redox Brands into a new household-products company named CR Brands.

A private-label and niche-brand household-products platform focused on cleaning, laundry, fabric care, and related maintenance categories.

• Laundry care

  Biz

  Biz was one of CR Brands' laundry-care brands. It was later sold to Scott's Liquid Gold Inc. in 2020, ending CR Brands' ownership of the brand.

• Laundry detergent

  Oxydol

  Oxydol was a former Procter & Gamble brand held by ChemPro before the formation of CR Brands. CR Brands later owned and marketed the brand until it was acquired by Fab+Kind Co. in 2019.

• Fabric and garment care

  Dryel

  Dryel was a fabric-care brand in the CR Brands portfolio. The brand was sold to Scott's Liquid Gold Inc. in 2020.

• Household cleaning

  Mean Green

  Mean Green was a household-cleaning brand owned by CR Brands until its sale to RPM International in 2018.

• Household cleaning

  Pine Power

  Pine Power was one of the household-cleaning brands associated with CR Brands. The available reference material does not identify a separate launch date or subsequent ownership transaction.

• Household cleaning

  Magnum Power

  Magnum Power was included among CR Brands' consumer cleaning brands. No separate product history or post-liquidation ownership information is identified in the available reference material.

• Licensed household products

  Arm & Hammer licensed products

  CR Brands sold products under the Arm & Hammer name through a license from Church & Dwight. The available material does not specify the individual products or the duration of the license.

• Licensed household products

  OxiClean licensed products

  CR Brands also operated products using the OxiClean name under license from Church & Dwight. Specific product formats and license terms are not identified in the available sources.

• 2023

  Chapter 7 liquidation filingOther

  Background

  After its brands and assets had been divested, CR Brands no longer had an operating asset base sufficient to continue as a business.

  Action taken

  CR Brands filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on March 16, 2023.

  Aftermath

  The company ceased operations. Its bankruptcy petition reported zero assets, approximately $21.9 million in liabilities, and between 100 and 199 creditors.

  Reported liabilities. $21.9 million (Bankruptcy petition filed March 16, 2023)

  Source

• 2020

  Sale of Biz and DryelM&A

  Background

  CR Brands continued to dispose of consumer brands before its eventual liquidation.

  Action taken

  The company sold Biz and Dryel to Scott's Liquid Gold Inc.

  Aftermath

  Two more major brands left the CR Brands portfolio, further reducing the company's operating assets.

  Source

• 2019

  Sale of OxydolM&A

  Background

  Oxydol was one of the former Procter & Gamble brands that had entered CR Brands through ChemPro.

  Action taken

  CR Brands sold Oxydol to Fab+Kind Co.

  Aftermath

  Oxydol left the CR Brands portfolio.

  Source

• 2018

  Focus on differentiated niche brandsStrategy

  Background

  Resilience Capital stated that CR Brands needed a growth plan centered on its more distinctive consumer categories.

  Action taken

  The company brought in new leadership and adopted an initiative emphasizing differentiated niche brands.

  Aftermath

  The company nevertheless proceeded to divest major brands, including Mean Green, Oxydol, Biz, and Dryel, before entering bankruptcy.

  Source

• 2018

  Sale of Mean Green and Roto-Rooter rightsM&A

  Background

  CR Brands was reducing and reshaping its household-products portfolio.

  Action taken

  The company sold Mean Green and its United States and Canadian Roto-Rooter drain-care license to RPM International.

  Aftermath

  RPM International added the assets to its broader consumer-products portfolio, while CR Brands lost important operating brands.

  Source

• 2006

  Formation through the ChemPro–Redox combinationM&A

  Background

  Allied Capital owned ChemPro and Redox Brands and sought to operate them as a combined consumer-products platform.

  Action taken

  The two businesses were merged and renamed CR Brands, with production of Redox products moving to ChemPro facilities.

  Aftermath

  The combination created the corporate structure that operated the household-products portfolio until its later divestitures and liquidation.

  Source

1. 1CR Brandsen.wikipedia.org