Glenwillow and Springfield, Ohio (PRNewswire) -- Royal Appliance Mfg. Co., maker of Dirt Devil® floor care products, and O-Cedar Brands, Inc. have announced a major strategic alliance. The two companies are unveiling a licensing agreement that makes O-Cedar the exclusive licensee of the powerhouse Dirt Devil brand for non-appliance cleaning tools. O-Cedar will introduce a line of mops, brooms, brushes and other associated cleaning tools in a major product launch at the 2001 International Housewares Show in Chicago.

Royal Appliance and O-Cedar have signed a long term licensing agreement that will allow O-Cedar to utilize the Dirt Devil brand on a full line of non-appliance cleaning tools in all classes of retail trade for the North and South American markets. The agreement also affords cross-promotional and cross-merchandising opportunities for Dirt Devil in the closely related vacuum and cleaning tools categories.

This licensing initiative enables O-Cedar to offer their retail partners a choice of brands without settling for a secondary brand marketing presence. The reputation and consumer awareness of Dirt Devil home cleaning products, combined with strong retail distribution and more than $20 million in annual consumer advertising makes the Dirt Devil brand the ideal candidate for entry into mops, brooms and brushes, the company says.