Brown Gibbons Lang & Company: M&A Accelerates in B2B Distribution

CLEVELAND, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquidity is fueling deal making, with B2B Distribution seeing a rising level of merger and acquisition activity that is broad-based, according to the Industrials Insider, an industry report released by Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). Corporate and private equity buyers are highly active across all distribution sectors, with participants seeking opportunities to build scale and geographic footprint and expand into complementary products and markets. Click here to access the full report.

Corporates have made recent headlines with notable targets in play, including Allied Building Products (Beacon Roofing Supply), the Waterworks Business of HD Supply (Clayton Dubilier & Rice), and Praxair (Linde), setting the stage for continued consolidation in a fragmented market.

Private equity sponsors are actively building value-added distribution platforms demonstrating broad interest across industrial markets. Building Products has seen a high level of acquisition activity, with The Sterling Group (Construction Supply Holdings) and Berkshire Partners (SRS Distribution) among the active consolidators. Fasteners has seen robust platform and add-on activity, notably new growth platform Endries International, acquired by Nautic Partners from Ferguson Enterprises this May, and tuck-in activity by Bolts & Nuts (Nebraska Heavy Industries and Tecum Capital Management) and AFC Industries (Incline Equity Partners), each announcing two acquisitions. Acquisitive platforms in Industrial Gases (CI Capital Partners/Tech Air); Lubricants (Audax Group/Reladyne), and Janitorial and Sanitation Supplies (Imperial Dade/Audax Group) underscore the growing diversity of private equity investment activity in B2B Distribution.

The capital markets environment remains strong with ample equity and debt capacity to finance acquisitions. Liquidity will be the catalyst for an active M&A market as participants look to acquisitions to drive outsized growth.

BGL publishes periodic Insider research publications on a variety of industries including automotive; building products and construction materials; business services; consumer and retail; environmental and industrial services; healthcare and life sciences; industrials; metals; and plastics and packaging.  Download BGL Insider reports at www.bglco.com/research.

About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company is a leading independent investment bank serving the middle market. BGL specializes in mergers and acquisitions advisory services, debt and equity placements, financial restructuring advice, and valuations and fairness opinions, with global industry teams in Business Services, Consumer & Retail, Environmental & Industrial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrials, and Real Estate. BGL has offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and San Diego, in addition to Global M&A partner offices in more than 50 countries across 5 continents. BGL is able to deliver to our clients unparalleled access to strategic relationships, investors, and opportunities globally. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.

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