has closed an agreement to acquire iRobot, the Roomba vacuum cleaner company, for 1,700 million dollars -1,666 million euros-, including debt, as announced by the former in a statement. After learning the news, the home cleaning robotics firm has shot up 19.5% in premarket.
Shares of iRobot closed the last session in the 50 dollars and Amazon has offered 61 dollars for each share of the company, which represents a premium of 22%. The operation is still pending the approval of the regulators.
The technology giant has explained what is from the acquisition: that consumers buy time. “We know that time matters and that housework takes time that can be spent doing something you love. That’s why customers love iRobot products and with them we want to develop new ways to make life easier others,” said the firm’s senior vice president, Dave Limp.
The iRobot company is known for its Roomba vacuum cleaners, which clean floors automatically. The first model came out two decades ago, in 2002. Amazon has detailed that, once the purchase is complete, the company’s CEO, Colin Angle, will remain in office.
Angle has celebrated the new stage of the company that he runs under the umbrella of the technology company: “I am excited to be part of Amazon and I am looking forward to seeing what we will build together in the coming years.”
The acquisition of iRobot comes two weeks after the firm founded by Jeff Bezos for $3.9 billion, including debt. On that occasion, the company explained that its objective was to reinvent medical care and, in the same way, for patients to save the time they spend making appointments, traveling to the doctor’s office or to the pharmacy.
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