NEW YORK — Sara Lee Branded Apparel has acquired two textile manufacturers in a bid to gain more control over its global supply chain.
The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based division of Sara Lee Corp., which manufactures the Champion, Bali, Playtex, L’eggs, Hanes, Wonderbra, Barely There and Just My Size brands, said Tuesday it had purchased National Textiles and DFK Trading Corp.
National Textiles, also based in Winston-Salem, supplies ring-spun cotton, blended yarns and finished fabrics from eight plants located in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The company employs about 2,900 people. National Textiles declined to comment on the acquisition.
A spokeswoman for Sara Lee said the acquisitions were part of an effort to get better control of its supply chain, helping the firm avoid problems caused by such things as weather and political situations. Sara Lee had been a long-term customer of both companies, as well, she said, giving the company familiarity with their capabilities and quality.
“We believe a large company such as ours has a competitive advantage if they’re controlling their textile resources,” the spokeswoman said. “We felt we would be better served by having them inside our organization.”
Hong Kong-based DFK International sources raw materials in Asia. The company will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary and change its name to DFK International Ltd.
Financial details of the acquisitions were not made available.
“Both companies will continue to serve other clients that they have,” the spokeswoman said.
In February, Sara Lee Corp. announced plans to split apart its $4.5 billion apparel business and operations in the Americas-Asia territories and sell its $1.8 billion European apparel business. The company reported fourth-quarter results last month, with sales for the branded apparel segment falling 8 percent to $1.51 billion. Sales of that segment for the year slid 0.4 percent to $6.43 billion.