S&S Activewear Completes alphabroder Acquisition

S&S Activewear, a distributor of apparel and accessories, has completed its acquisition of alphabroder, a distributor of trade, retail, apparel brands, and branded products.

Completion of the transaction, first announced in August, is said to enable S&S and alphabroder to commence a thoughtful, multi-year integration process designed to ensure the combined company continues to deliver exceptional customer service, while leveraging the strengths of both brand offerings.

S&S Activewear CEO Frank Myers will continue to lead the combined company, with support from alphabroder CEO Dan Pantano through the integration process. For now, S&S and alphabroder continue to go to market under their respective brand offerings backed by their existing distribution channels.

“Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for our company, as we build on the unique strengths of S&S and alphabroder to enhance the customer experience, strengthen our relationships with our industry partners, and continue to invest in growing our sales force and technology capabilities,” said Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear. “Over the past few months, we have had valuable discussions with our customers and vendors that will inform the strategic direction of our company and ensure S&S is best positioned to deliver for our partners into the future. As we work to bring this combination to life, our top priority is ensuring our employees, customers, and vendors continue to succeed alongside S&S.”

“We are pleased to officially join with S&S and kick off the integration process,” said Dan Pantano, alphabroder CEO. “Together, we are focused on building on our business momentum while continuing to exceed the expectations of our customers and our partners as we begin our next phase of growth as a combined company.”

UBS Investment Bank, Barclays, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., TD Securities, BMO Capital Markets, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, Citizens Bank N.A., Natixis, RBC Capital Markets LLC, and Truist Securities provided financing and served as financial advisors to Clayton Dubilier & Rice (“CD&R”), S&S Activewear’s majority owner. Solomon Partners and SG Americas Securities LLC also served as financial advisors to CD&R. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal advisor to CD&R. Harris Williams served as exclusive financial advisor and Sheppard Mullin LLP served as legal advisor to alphabroder.