Conair Corp.'s recipe for growth this year is likely to include acquisitions of small kitchen appliance makers.

The Stamford, Conn.-based personal care and household appliance business is actively looking to buy such manufacturers, particularly in Europe, according to Mark Turgyan, the company's director of mergers and acquisitions. Such a purchase would complement Conair's Cuisinart brand, he said.

Unlike El Paso-based Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ:HELE), Conair is not seeking personal care products businesses that provide liquid products such as shampoos or soaps. Instead, the company is interested in bolting-on makers of personal care appliances and accessories such as cosmetic bags, Turgyan said.

Turgyan said Conair, with more than $2 billion in annual revenue, has not set aside a specific amount of cash for acquisitions.

Conair's brands and businesses include the Interplak electric toothbrushes, travel accessories under the brand name Travel Smart by Conair, Scunci hair accessories, Rusk salon products and tools, ConairPRO Pet grooming tools, and the Cuisinart and Waring high-end kitchen appliance divisions.

The company's past few acquisitions include deals for travel accessories business Franzus Co. LLC and cosmetic bag organizer provider Allegro Mfg Inc., both in 2007.

Conair sources most of its manufacturing to places such as China and then distributes its goods to big-box retailers such as Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and retail pharmacy chains such as Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG). "We do little of our own manufacturing," Turgyan said.

Though Conair is looking to expand distribution to consumers via the Internet, Turgyan said Conair has to tread carefully so it does not cannibalize the sales of its retail locations.

Founded in 1959 as Continental Hair Products Inc., the company went public in 1972 and then changed its name to Conair Corp. in 1976. In 1985, Leandro Rizzuto bought the company he founded with his father and mother, taking it private through a leveraged buyout financed with debt securities rather than private bank loans. Rizzuto paid roughly $169 million for the 60% of Conair's stock he didn't own.

For now, Rizzuto is content to keep the business private and independent, Turgyan said.