December 10, 2019
Polyconcept Acquires ETS Express
Polyconcept (asi/78897), the parent company to Polyconcept North America (PCNA) whose brands include Leed’s, Bullet, JournalBooks and Trimark, today announced it has completed the acquisition of ETS Express (ETS). The sale was finalized on November 29, 2019 and the terms of the sale were not disclosed.
ETS Express (asi/51197), with headquarters in Oxnard, CA, and an additional location in Concord, NC, is the largest supplier of promotional drinkware in North America and is a recognized leader in product design and innovative decoration. Polyconcept is the world’s largest multi-category supplier of promotional products with distribution to over 100 countries worldwide. The addition of ETS to the PCNA portfolio will extend its presence and leadership within drinkware, the fastest-growing category in the promotional products industry.
“ETS’s demonstrated leadership in design and decoration creates exciting new opportunities for PCNA and our distributor partners. Its culture, values, and service philosophy are in strong alignment with our own,” said Neil Ringel, CEO of Polyconcept. “We welcome the addition of the ETS team and are excited to work together to ensure that this strategic alliance capitalizes on their leadership position while also ensuring that each of our individual brands remains highly differentiated in the marketplace.”
ETS will continue to operate independently out of its Oxnard headquarters and be led by current CEO Sharon Eyal, Counselor’s 2018 Person of the Year who will also join PCNA’s executive leadership team. All ETS operations, sales, and marketing will remain independent, enabling it to remain exclusively focused on the drinkware category.
“I have personally known the PCNA team for many years, and because they strongly share our commitment to service and excellence, I couldn’t be happier that they will be our partner,” said Eyal. “This transaction is a testament to ETS’s employees and all that we’ve accomplished together over the last 34 years.”
Polyconcept was acquired in August 2016 by Charlesbank Capital Partners on behalf of their investors. “We are delighted to support the expansion of PCNA and to help bring together two leading companies in the promotional industry,” said Alex Weiss, a Charlesbank Principal. “We look forward to a successful integration building on the cultural similarities, talent, and best practices of these two companies, all of which will ensure a stronger future together.”
With $654 million in North American sales in 2018, Polyconcept is the number four supplier in the industry on Counselor’s Top 40 list; ETS, with $112 million in reported North American sales in 2018, is the number 13 supplier on the list.