Groupe SEB expands its strategy with an important acquisition in the American coffee sector. The French big group, in fact, has acquired Wilbur Curtis, second largest American manufacturer of professional coffee equipment, founded in 1941, as manufacturer of equipment of cold and hot beverage, mainly coffee and cappuccino machines. As Groupe SEB specifies in the official press release, the transaction is subject to customary regulatory clearances and is expected to be finalized in February of this year. Wilbur Curtis sales have been growing steadily, exceeding 90 million dollar. The company has a high-performance production facility in California, with a staff of 300 people. «Following the acquisition of WMF in 2016 – commented Thierry de La Tour d’Artaise, chairman and CEO of Groupe SEB – our Group confirms its determination to pursue expansion in the professional coffee industry, which offers great development opportunities worldwide. As a specialist in filter coffee machines in the United States, Wilbur Curtis represents for SEB – that is already present on this market with Schaerer and WMF full-automatic espresso machines – a very valuable strategic complement to its products offering and customer portfolio. As a result, Groupe SEB becomes one of the leaders in the professional coffee business in the United States.»
