NBTY Closes Rexall Purchase 31945

NBTY Closes Rexall Purchase

BOHEMIA, N.Y.NBTY Inc. (NASDAQ:NBTY) completed its acquisition ofRexall Sundown Inc., a supplement manufacturer previously held by Dutch companyRoyal Numico N.V., for $250 million cash. NBTY financed the acquisition througha new senior credit facility consisting of $275 million in term loans and $100million in a revolving credit agreement. Numico took a big hit financially withthe sale, considering the company bought Rexall in 2000 for $1.8 billion.

According to Numico, this transaction will result in awrite-off, which the company expects to translate into zero equity forshareholders.

In its latest financial report, NBTY reported sales increased15.2 percent to $827.7 million for the third quarter, ended June 30. For theyear ended Dec. 31, 2002, Rexall had sales of $455 million.