Bloomington, MN - The W.P. & R.S Mars Company announced that is has acquired the assets of the Walter R. Hammond Company of Minneapolis, MN.
Established in 1945, the Hammond Company is a local, full-service distributor of cutting tools and accessories. Over the years they have developed a reputation for hands-on application expertise and for offering a large on-the-shelf inventory of top brand name cutting tools and tooling accessories.
The Mars Company is a regional distributor of Abrasives, Cutting Tools, Hand & Power Tools, MROP, Power Transmission & Rubber Products, Precision Measuring, Safety Supplies and Shop Tools. Founded in 1924, Mars is a fifth generation, family-owned distributor with branches in Bloomington, Duluth and Hibbing, MN. Mars’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Conveyor Belt Service Inc., is located in Virginia, MN and specializes in the repair and installation of large conveyor belts for the taconite, coal and wood products industries.
Hammond will continue to operate as the Walter R. Hammond Co. and will be a division of the W.P. & R.S. Mars Co. Larry Hammond, President of the Hammond Company said, “This is great. It helps both of us. Mars customers will benefit from a broader, deeper selection of cutting tools and our customers will have access to a wider group of products and supplies. And now the Hammond sales team will be able to offer vending to their customers. We are very happy the way this turned out.”
With the acquisition of Hammond, Mars expands its footprint in the Twin Cities market and broadens its sales of cutting tools and tooling accessories. Mars also gains an experienced team of Hammond employees plus a loyal customer base of job shops and other metalworking companies. When asked about the acquisition, Bob Mars, President of Mars said, “We have always admired and respected the Hammond Company for its commitment to cutting tools and for how they go to market. Our two companies are very much alike in selling style and business philosophy, and what makes this exciting is that we have different, but complementary strengths in product categories and services. Those combined strengths will be good for Mars, Hammond and most importantly, for our customers.”
