MINNEAPOLIS - The Valspar Corp. has acquired De Beer Lakfabrieken, a privately owned manufacturer of automotive-refinish coatings based in Lelystad, The Netherlands. The acquisition includes De Beer's subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Australia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

De Beer sells products in more than 65 countries and had 2003 sales of approximately 39 million euros, or approximately $50 million.