Univar N.V., announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Univar USA, has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of CHEMCENTRAL Corporation for approximately $600 million in cash, including assumed debt.

CHEMCENTRAL, established in 1926, is a privately held company headquartered near Chicago, IL.  Based on 2006 consolidated revenues of $1.4 billion and EBITDA of approximately $70 million, the company is one of the leading industrial chemicals distributors in the U.S., with trading relationships in more than 60 countries.  

CHEMCENTRAL is a major distributor of both specialty and commodity chemicals and has distribution centers located throughout the U.S., and selected sites in Mexico, Canada, South America, Australia and the Caribbean, with joint ventures in China, Southeast Asia/South Pacific, India and the Middle East. Its sales are derived primarily from its North America operations, with over 90% of 2006 revenues attributable to its U.S. business. CHEMCENTRAL operates 45 stocking locations and four regional centers in North America, with another 25 international warehouse locations, and has approximately 1,000 employees.