Business News
Bendon Acquires Dalmatian Press, LLC
Thursday 08. August 2013 - Bendon, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Dalmatian Press, LLC ("Dalmatian") from its parent company Anderson Press Incorporated. The acquisition of Dalmatian by Bendon, which is owned by the Wicks Group and management, creates one of the largest producers of children's educational coloring and activity products in the United States. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Dalmatian produces and sells consumable early childhood development, coloring and activity products at opening price points across various retail channels in the United States. Dalmatian has a marquee portfolio of licenses as well as a strong non-branded product line dominated by activity-based items.
Ben Ferguson, CEO of Bendon, said: “We have always been impressed with every aspect of Dalmatian’s business and we are very excited to add their creative portfolio and talented team to the Bendon family. This acquisition immediately strengthens our product offerings and significantly broadens our distribution footprint. Without a doubt, together with Dalmatian, we are in a position to provide more value to our retail partners, licensors and customers. We look forward to growing our business as we leverage the combination of our entrepreneurial spirit and Dalmatian’s creative edge.”
“We are very excited about the Bendon and Dalmatian combination. We believe that industry consolidation is positive and inevitable given the desire to support our customers’ growth ambitions. This transaction is a critical step in accelerating this process. The combined business will be the best of breed in the industry, with a strong management team from both organizations and a significant opportunity to grow. Dalmatian’s core strengths perfectly complement and enhance Bendon’s capabilities. Our strategic focus for Bendon has been to grow scale and become the premiere player in our space. Dalmatian doubles the size of Bendon and creates a clear leader within the value segment of children’s coloring and activity market. ” said Daniel L. Black, Managing Partner at the Wicks Group.
Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe, LLP served as legal counsel to Bendon on the transaction. AMR International served as industry advisors on the transaction.