Top 40 distributor BDA (asi/137616) has expanded its global footprint with the acquisition of top Germany-based promotional products distributor ipm | gruppe. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition broadens the Woodinville, WA-based distributor’s offerings in Europe, further building out its global reach and capabilities. With offices in France and the UK, BDA is adding its first office in Germany, thanks to the acquisition. It also gives the distributor a second distribution facility in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), bolstering BDA’s influence in the region and increasing support for new and existing clients. BDA established its first European distribution center in the Netherlands at the end of 2021.

Jay Deutsch, BDA

Well known in the European promo market, ipm | gruppe services the full spectrum of medium-to-large enterprise clients with extensive reach across Europe. Headquartered outside of Munich in Kissing, Germany, ipm | gruppe has three offices, a team of more than 40 people and is led by industry veterans Peter Beichel and Tino Gerstner. Among its extensive roster of clients are Linde MH, Skoda and Dachser.

Thanks to the acquisition, ipm | gruppe clients can leverage over 50 BDA locations in North America and a global supply chain network to provide unmatched merchandise capabilities, complete campaign development and fulfillment, and four decades of experience servicing many of the world’s most recognizable brands. For BDA clients, the addition of ipm | gruppe customers creates a seamless gateway into the German marketplace. The European promotional products industry represents a 15 billion euro (or about $16.4 billion USD) opportunity for clients, according to the distributor. The German promo market specifically is roughly 2 billion euros (about $2.2 billion USD), according to the most recent estimates from the German Promotional Products Association.

“Expanding our creative, manufacturing and distribution capabilities in Germany with a leader like ipm | gruppe will elevate our merchandise programs to new levels,” said Jay Deutsch, CEO and co-founder of BDA. “The combination of our client rosters and deeply rooted expertise in the art of full-service merchandise programs will add tremendous value and resources to customers in Germany and worldwide.”

Deutsch added that he knew instantly after meeting Beichel and Gerstner that the partnership “could change the landscape” with their clients. “Our combined forces now make us the largest merchandising group in Germany,” he noted. “Together with the tremendous ipm | gruppe team, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”

Beichel, co-managing director of ipm | gruppe, said that joining BDA “amplifies our commitment to world-class client service and provides a new opportunity for us to offer a full scope of capabilities in the U.S.”

Beichel added that his team is excited to establish BDA-Germany and to help “our new American friends navigate the European market and expand their brand awareness with perfectly engineered merchandise campaigns.”

Gerstner, the other co-managing director of ipm | gruppe, called the partnership “a great fit for us, as well as our clients.” He added that ipm | gruppe received the German TOP100 Innovator Award last week – a testament to the company’s “ability to deliver innovative and effective client solutions and showing our value for BDA’s future European operations.”

Last June, BDA acquired Idea Planet, a Dallas-based merch agency that brought a roster of video game and other large clients to the distributor. BDA says it provides customized marketing, merchandising, e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for leading companies, including Major League Baseball, FedEx, The Home Depot, Dell and Johnson & Johnson. A global firm with almost 40 years of experience, BDA has dozens of locations in North America and eight international offices.

BDA ranks sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the top distributors in the industry, with 2021 North American promotional products revenue of $338.5 million. The next iteration of the list will be published this summer.