Affiliated Distributors plans to acquire fellow buying group SupplyForce, AD officials announced Wednesday.
AD
Officials said that the boards of the respective buying groups are “actively working through a due diligence process;” the deal is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year, subject to board and shareholder approval and other closing conditions.
“As we look to the future, independents will require increasingly more complex and technically advanced solutions that allow Independents to compete in a seamless and cost-effective manner servicing large, multi-site customer opportunities,” SupplyForce Chairman and Kendall Group President John Harman said in a statement. “AD is well-positioned to make the necessary investments to enable its membership to compete more effectively across the network.”
“Over the years, AD has expanded well beyond typical buying group functions to offer a broad and optional menu of innovative programs and services,” added AD Chairman and CEO Bill Weisberg. “A program to enable the efficient collaboration of independents with national accounts is a natural addition to that portfolio.”
The deal would follow AD’s acquisitions of the Commonwealth Group in 2025, IMARK Electrical and the Edge Group 2024, and the Baron Group in 2023.
