Midwich Group Plc ("Midwich", the “Midwich Group” or "the Group") Acquisition of SF Marketing Inc.
Midwich, a global specialist audio visual (“AV”) distributor to the trade market, is pleased to announce that it has acquired SF Marketing Inc (“SFM” or “the Company”), a value-added distributor of AV technologies to the Canadian market.
Based in Montreal, SFM was founded by Sol Fleising in 1978 and has grown to become one of the leading specialist AV distributors in Canada. With a strong heritage in the solution-driven professional audio market, the business operates with high-end market leading brands such as Shure, QSC, and Pioneer DJ. In recent years the Company has expanded its technology offering, and now provides brands such as Blackmagic Design, BirdDog, Visionary Solutions, Christie and Sony for the professional video and broadcast markets.
Sol has remained active in the business since its inception and in 2014 handed over the reins of the day-to-day operations to Randal Tucker as President. Randal, along with the existing leadership team, will remain with the business to lead the Company’s ongoing development and Sol will continue to consult on behalf of the Company for a period following completion.
At the core of SFM’s distribution offering has always been a focus on providing high levels of customer service and support, particularly through its Technical Application Group. This internal team supports customers with a broad suite of pre and post-sale services including, amongst other things acoustic modelling, CAD design and drawing support, network review and pre-qualification as well as training courses.
Stephen Fenby, the Midwich Group Managing Director, commented:
“We are delighted to welcome the SFM team to the Midwich Group. The Canadian AV market is important globally, and so it was important that we found a high quality business to partner with. SF Marketing is such a business, with high customer service levels and market-leading technical support. The time we have spent with Randal and the rest of the team gives us great confidence that we can work together to build an even stronger business serving the Canadian market. Sol should be rightly proud of the business he built and passed over to the team to manage and develop. “
Sol Fleising, the SF Marketing Inc, Founder and Chairman (pictured), commented:
"After 45 years in the business, it's very gratifying for me to see the business to which I devoted myself for so many years in the hands of the current management team, supported by the Midwich Group. In Midwich, I'm confident that SFM has found the right partner to continue providing the extremely high level of service our suppliers and customers have come to expect, and to continue building on the outstanding reputation for service that we've established in the Canadian market. SFM's legacy could not be in better hands."
Randal Tucker, the SF Marketing Inc, President & CEO, commented:
"We at SFM were spoiled for choice when it came to potential partners, but it was clear very early on in our conversations that Midwich was different from the others. In addition to an undeniably strong cultural fit between our organisations, the Midwich Group has a proven history of acquiring well- functioning organisations like ours and facilitating their growth, while respecting each company's unique regional character. We're thrilled to be joining them and look forward to leveraging the group's knowledge and resources to continually create great experiences for our employees and business partners."
For further information:
Midwich Group plc
Stephen Fenby, Managing Director +44 (0) 1379 649200
Stephen Lamb, Finance Director
FTI Consulting +44 (0) 20 3727 1000
Alex Beagley / Tom Hufton / Rafaella de Freitas
About Midwich Group
Midwich is a specialist AV distributor to the trade market, with operations in the UK and Ireland, EMEA, Asia Pacific and North America. The Group's long-standing relationships with over 600 vendors, including blue-chip organisations, support a comprehensive product portfolio across major audio visual categories such as large format displays, projectors, digital signage and professional audio. The Group operates as the sole or largest in-country distributor for a number of its vendors in their respective product sets.
The Directors attribute this position to the Group's technical expertise, extensive product knowledge and strong customer service offering built up over several years. The Group has a large and diverse base of over 22,000 customers, most of which are professional AV integrators and IT resellers serving sectors such as corporate, education, retail, residential and hospitality. Although the Group does not sell directly to end users, it believes that the majority of its products are used by commercial and educational establishments rather than consumers.
Initially a UK only distributor, the Group now has around 1,500 employees across the UK and Ireland, EMEA, Asia Pacific and North America. A core component of the Group's growth strategy is further expansion of its international operations and footprint into strategically targeted jurisdictions.
For further information, please visit www.midwichgroupplc.com