Alantra advises PlumRiver LLC on sale to Emerald Holding, Inc.
SECTORTechnology
ServiceM&A
Boston – Alantra, a leading global investment bank and asset management firm, is pleased to announce that PlumRiver LLC has been sold to Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX). The transaction closed on December 31, 2020.
PlumRiver is an enterprise SaaS software company that has developed a web-based, B2B eCommerce order and product information management platform designed to meet the unique needs of manufacturers and wholesalers of footwear, apparel, sporting goods and other specialty retail products. Their Elastic Suite Custom Catalog Builder, Visual Merchandising and WhiteBoarding functionality allows for fully digital merchandising and the elimination of mass printing for the B2B retail channel. Over 130 specialty manufacturers use PlumRiver’s software platform, including globally recognized, iconic brands such as Bauer, Burton Snowboards, CCM, Camelback, FILA, Fjall Raven, Helly Hansen, New Balance, Orvis, Patagonia, Puma, QuickSilver, The North Face, Timberland, Thule and VANS, among others.
Emerald Holding operates live, in-person B2B trade shows (Outdoor Retailer, Surf Expo), and hosts specialty retail design, technology, equipment, and safety industry content and digital product websites. This acquisition will allow Emerald to create an online B2B marketplace experience that combines virtual trade show offerings with digital commerce functionality, providing a digital year-round transactional platform for use by Emerald’s customers.
This transaction adds to Alantra’s standing as a leading advisor to digital commerce companies and highlights many key B2B eCommerce sector trends, including the accelerating move to the cloud, the growing importance of digital product information management, the increasing popularity of B2B marketplaces and the need for enhanced supply chain agility/visibility.
“We are thrilled to join with Emerald to bring innovative market-driven solutions and efficiencies to thousands of Brands and Retailers across the globe in a rapidly expanding B2B digital economy,” said John Marchione, PlumRiver Technologies Co-Founder, in a company statement. “We are equally excited for the new opportunities for our employees.”
Whit Johnson, PlumRiver Co-Founder added, “This new structure will be a terrific benefit to our long list of existing customers, with Emerald’s increased size and financial strength allowing us to further increase our ability to innovate and develop wide ranging elements of our B2B platform.”
“We were very happy to be able to help the PlumRiver shareholders realize their strategic objectives via an outcome that addressed their liquidity goals and provided the existing team and employees with an opportunity to continue to grow the business,” said Bob Cronin, Managing Director, Alantra Tech.
The Alantra Tech team advising PlumRiver included Mr. Cronin, AJ Ferrara (Associate, Boston), and Blake Bath (Analyst, Boston).
