OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is buying the Duracell battery business from Procter & Gamble Co. in a deal valued at approximately $3 billion.
P&G, the world's biggest consumer products maker, had announced last month that it wanted to make Duracell a stand-alone company. P&G, which acquired Duracell in 2005, said at the time that it preferred a spinoff of Duracell, but that it was considering a sale or other options.
The sale of Duracell to Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. turned out to be slightly different from P&G's initial plans.
P&G will receive shares of its own stock that are currently held by Berkshire Hathaway. Those shares are currently valued at about $4.7 billion. Offsetting part of that price, P&G will contribute about $1.7 billion to the Duracell business before the deal closes.
P&G, whose products include Tide detergent and Pampers diapers, has been trimming its product lineup to focus on its top performers. After it finishes jettisoning more than half its brands around the globe over the next year or two, P&G has said that it will be left with about 70 to 80 brands.