FOOTHILL RANCH, CA -- Hampton Products International Corp. (HPIC) has announced the purchase of privately-held Keeper Corp., located in North Windham, CT. Keeper will become a subsidiary of Hampton Automotive Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of HPIC. Hampton Products is the second largest marketer of padlocks in the U.S.

Keeper Corp. is a leading supplier of automotive cargo management products in the U.S. The company has distribution in more than 25,000 home center, auto parts and hardware retail outlets. The company currently operates out of two large manufacturing and warehousing facilities, with more than 170 employees.

Best known for its branded Hampton and Brinks security products, the company moves back to its original focus on the automotive category through this acquisition. In 1973, the company’s first launch was a weatherproof padlock for spare tires.

“This acquisition reinforces and expands our emphasis in security related products,” said HPIC’s Chairman/CEO, Kim Kelley. “Keeper adds cargo management capabilities to our collection of branded, high value, easy-to-use security hardware and related accessory products for the home, vehicle and workplace. In the first year alone, Keeper’s sales will represent about one-third of Hampton’s overall sales.”

“Our people, facilities and culture will remain intact under the new subsidiary,” said Ken Porter, who will continue as president and CEO of Keeper. The two companies spent nearly a year and a half getting to know each other prior to the purchase by HPIC. “We became convinced that Hampton’s marketing, engineering, financial and sourcing strength -- combined with Keeper’s category success and very broad distribution -- will result in market share growth, innovative product introductions and additional benefits for our customers,” said Porter.

Hampton was equally optimistic about the synergy coming from the acquisition. “Our combined companies are already producing innovative ideas,” said Kelley. “During the courting phase, our two R&D teams worked together to develop several new products, including a revolutionary bungee cord with a built-in carabiner style hook. It was introduced at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas last November and is already generating excitement with the company’s key customers.”

Together, Hampton Automotive Group and Keeper plan to launch more than 200 new and proprietary towing, towing security, cargo management products and merchandising concepts “to meet the needs of a changing marketplace, Kelly added.

“We identified towing and automotive cargo accessories as strong growth categories, and decided Keeper was a great fit with our automotive group’s expansion plans,” said Kelley. These categories enjoyed nearly 10 percent average annual growth rates for the past ten years, according to the 2004 annual report of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

Porter started Keeper in 1979. The company developed a manufacturing niche in cargo management by specializing in tie-downs, lashing straps, bungee cords, tow ropes and straps

To learn more about Keeper Corp., go to: www.keepercorp.com .

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