Sara Lee Branded Apparel has acquired National Textiles, L.L.C., a yarn and textile production company based in Winston-Salem, N.C. The company also said that it recently acquired DFK Trading Corporation Ltd., an Asian sourcing company. Both transactions are part of the company's long-term strategies to ensure a highly effective global supply chain. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
“As global trade dynamics continue to evolve, control of textile resources is a competitive advantage for large apparel companies,” said Gerald Evans, Sara Lee Branded Apparel's chief supply chain officer. “These acquisitions are good investments for Sara Lee Branded Apparel. We were principal customers of both companies and bringing their capacity in-house will greatly increase our efficiency and speed-to-market in highly competitive apparel categories.”
With vertical yarn-to-textile operations, National Textiles is a major supplier of open-end and ring-spun cotton as well as blended yarns and finished tubular fabrics. National Textiles has plants in Rabun Gap, Ga.; Mountain City, Tenn.; Galax, Va.; and Forest City, Gastonia, China Grove, Sanford and Eden, N.C. Distribution and warehousing is located in Advance, N.C. The company employs approximately 2,900 people.
Separately, newly acquired DFK Trading Corporation Ltd. will operate as DFK International Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sara Lee Branded Apparel. Based in Hong Kong, DFK will source raw materials in the emerging Asian market.
