Combined company solidifies its leadership position in promotional drinkware
New Kensington, PA (December 10, 2019)— Polyconcept, 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, 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, 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, who will also join PCNA’s executive leadership team. All ETS operations, sales, and marketing will remain independent, enabling it to stay 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 funds managed by Charlesbank Capital Partners. “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 position them for a stronger future together.”
About Polyconcept North America
Polyconcept North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of the world’s leading promotional products supplier Polyconcept, operates Leed’s, Bullet Line, JournalBooks, Trimark Sportswear and Humphrey Line, some of the most successful brands in North America. The PCNA companies provide recognized best-in-class services to the industry, ensuring the highest standards of reliability and quality. Highly complementary product ranges enable Polyconcept North America companies to provide the market with a very comprehensive assortment of products in all categories. Further information is available at www.pcna.com
About ETS Express
ETS Express is the promotional products industry’s premier source for quality, innovative drinkware. Based in Southern California, this company is unique among the promotional products industry because of its dedication to one, single product category: drinkware. It is that exclusive focus that has allowed ETS Express to develop superior screen printing methods that complement its extremely fashion-forward line of products. ETS’ exceptional employees are the key to success in providing top notch service to their customers. Recent awards include Distributor Choice Awards, a Supplier Excellence Award from Promotional Marketing and a Supplier Star from PPAI. ETS Express stands on a mission to establish long-term relationships based on mutual respect and cooperation. Founded by Ely Eastman in 1985, the initials of the company refer to family names: Ely, Taly (his daughter) and Sharon (his son). www.etsexpress.com
About Charlesbank Capital Partners
Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm managing more than $5 billion of capital. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings and also engages in opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to partner with strong management teams to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com.
