BOC Gasses Acquires 18 Retail Outlets In US; 14 In Canada

In the last 15 months, BOC Gases (Murray Hill, NJ), the industrial gases and special products business of The BOC Group (Surrey, England), has acquired five independent US distributors, with a combined sales volume of $40 million. The acquisitions—three in the South, one in the mid-Atlantic, and one in New England—increases BOC's US retail outlets by 18. In addition, BOC has also acquired 14 retail facilities in Ontario and Quebec previously owned by Airgas Ontario.

BOC Gases' latest acquisition is Associated Gas Products Inc. (Boston), which has a strong medical presence throughout Massachusetts. During 1998, BOC has also acquired the Welders Supply Company Inc. (Dallas), Harris Welding Supply (Pulaski, TN), Brooks Welding Supply (Chattanooga, TN), the Welders' Supply Company of Baltimore, and the retail operations of Airgas Ontario.

Welders Supply has two facilities in Dallas and operations in Garland and Fort Worth, TX. Harris has retail facilities in Pulaski, Lawrenceburg, and Colombia, TN, and in Athens, AL. Brooks has stores in Chattanooga and McMinville, TN, and in Dalton, GA. The Welders' Supply Company has one facility in Baltimore.

BOC Gases is the industrial gases and special products business of the BOC Group, a worldwide industrial and special gases, vacuum technologies, and distribution services company.

For more information, call Peter Gavigan of BOC Gases at 908-771-1512, or e-mail peter.gavigan@us.gases.boc.com.