Oldham firm picks up the rights to collapsed Kleeneze brand

Oldham-based company Ultimate Products has acquired the rights to the Kleeneze brand – one of Britain’s oldest catalogue companies – from the administrators.

Founded in 1923, Kleeneze employed 69 staff at its head office in Accrington in Lancashire and a further 71 at its warehouse in Heywood.

David Acland and Anthony Collier of FRP Advisory were appointed joint administrators in April.

Ian Maycock of auctioneers and valuers Charterfields in Manchester managed the sale of Kleeneze’s intellectual property, which included the trademarks, domain names, websites and social media accounts.

Ultimate Products says it now plans to relaunch the Kleeneze brand with a range of laundry and floorcare products for sale into retail and via online channels.

Kleeneze sold a range of homeware, health and beauty, clothing and Christmas products. The stock has also been sold by Charterfields.

Simon Showman, chief executive of Ultimate Products, said: “We are delighted to be adding such a well-established and highly regarded brand as Kleeneze to our portfolio of British brands.

“It has an outstanding heritage with a long-standing reputation for value and quality, and we look forward very much to relaunching it with a new and innovative laundry and floorcare range.

“This deal is consistent with our track record of making opportunistic acquisitions of brands and then successfully relaunching them, the most notable example of which was the purchase of Beldray in 2009, which is now our best-performing brand.”

Ian Maycock of Charterfields said: “Kleeneze was once one of the UK’s most popular homeware brands but unfortunately as a catalogue company, failed to adapt to the changing online retail market. We hope that Ultimate Products can help to revive this much-loved brand.”