Turkish tile maker Vitra has acquired a majority stake in Villeroy & Boch, one of the industry’s oldest ceramic tile brands. Plans call for Vitra to oversee all production and marketing of Villeroy & Boch’s tile division, V & B Fliesen GmbH. This includes two tile plants in Germany and an additional manufacturing plant in France, as well as a workforce of about 1,000.

Vitra said the purchase of a tile operation with annual sales of more than $200 million, will give the Turkish ceramic producer a greater global profile. “The new agreement raises the company’s production capacity to 35 million square meters and the number of its workers to 2500,” the company said.

Villeroy & Boch noted that the agreement would allow it to concentrate on its Bathroom and Wellness, and Tableware divisions. The company spun off its ceramic tile operations, which produces approximately 10 million square meters of product annually, as a fully owned subsidiary last year.