Divertimenti added to Aga's range

Aga hopes its takeover of Divertimenti will cook up more sales

Kitchen equipment group Aga Foodservice - famous for its upmarket country stoves - has added kitchen and cookware group Divertimenti to its range.

Aga snapped up the London-based luxury kitchenware group in a £1.4m cash deal.

Divertimenti sells more than 5,000 products, including Le Creuset cookware, and has two London stores and a mail order and online business.

Aga wants to sell its cookers through Divertimenti's outlets and is mulling opening more branded stores.

'Tremendous platform'

Aga, which is based in Solihull, also said it would sell Divertimenti products via its Rangemaster business.

"Divertimenti is a tremendous platform on which to grow a multi-channel cookware business being, itself, such a widely known and respected brand and business," said Aga chief executive William McGrath.

As it announced the takeover, Aga also revealed that new accounting standards meant its pre-tax profits for the 2004 financial year were 19% higher than previously reported - or £36.3m compared to the £30.6m posted.

Divertimenti was hit by a "small loss" on sales of £2.5m in the year to June, Aga said as it announced the takeover.