The closing period of the first quarter lacked the volume of previous months, but plenty of big-name distributors made market-shifting deals in March that kept afloat an ongoing M&A boom across wholesale distribution.

Highlights from last month include acquisitions from MDM Top Distributors such as Würth Industry North America, Watsco Inc., Winsupply Inc., Core & Main LP, NOW Inc. and F.W. Webb. Each acquired smaller distributors that should help complement their growth strategies.

March Deals

There were many more notable transactions, of course, and in case you missed anything, here are all the M&A announcements — primarily involving distributors but also manufacturers that sell through the channel — MDM covered during the previous month (click the hyperlinked headline for more details):

• White Cap Supply Canada to Acquire National Concrete Accessories — White Cap Supply Canada, the Canadian arm of Atlanta-based White Cap Supply Holdings LLC, said it will combine with National Concrete Accessories Canada Inc. to form a single Canadian business.
• Houston Wire & Cable to Be Acquired for $91 Million — Houston Wire & Cable Co., Houston, said it would be acquired by West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Omni Cable LLC in an all-cash transaction for $5.30 a share, or $91 million.
• Winsupply Acquires Ohio-Based Water Works Distributor — Winsupply Inc., Dayton, Ohio, completed the acquisition of Discount Drainage Supplies, an Akron, Ohio-based waterworks distributor with three locations in Ohio.
• Würth Industry North America Acquires ORR Safety — Würth Industry North America, Indianapolis, Indiana, and its subsidiary Northern Safety & Industrial, acquired Louisville, Kentucky-based ORR Safety, a privately held safety distributor with revenues of $125 million.
• Brady & Individual Foodservice Acquire Elkins Wholesale — Recently merged janitorial supply, equipment and foodservice distributors Brady Industries, Las Vegas, and Individual Foodservice, Bell, California, acquired Elkins Wholesale, which operates two branches in Mississippi.
• Watsco to Acquire Chicago-Based HVAC Distributor — HVACR distributor Watsco Inc., Miami, agreed to acquire Temperature Equipment Corporation, Chicago, expanding the distributor’s footprint into the Midwest.
• Houston Wire & Cable Completes Sale of Southwest Wire Rope — Houston Wire & Cable Co., Houston, Texas, completed the sale of its Southwest Wire Rope business in an asset transaction for $5 million.
• Atlas Copco Acquires British Distributor — Swedish industrial manufacturer Atlas Copco acquired Cooper Freer Ltd., a British distributor that serves industrial, water treatment and service companies in the Midlands region.
• Bunzl Closes on Three Acquisitions — Bunzl PLC completed three recent acquisitions: Deliver Net, a health care distributor to care home groups in the UK; Disposable Discounter, an online distributor of foodservice disposable products; and Pinnacle, a distributor of cleaning and hygiene in Saskatchewan, Canada.
• NOW Inc. Acquires Flex Flow — NOW Inc., Houston, Texas, agreed to acquire Flex Flow, Midland, Texas, from GR Energy Services Holdings LP, a portfolio company of the private equity firm Pine Brook Partners.
• W. Webb Acquires Danbury Plumbing and HVAC Supply — F.W. Webb Co., Bedford, Massachusetts, acquired Danbury Plumbing and HVAC Supply Co. of Western Connecticut. The Danbury location began operating as F.W. Webb and, as part of the transaction, the company’s Creative Bath became a Frank Webb Home retail showroom.
• Core & Main Closes Acquisition of Triple T Pipe & Supply — Core & Main LP, St. Louis, Missouri, closed on its previously announced agreement to acquire Triple T Pipe & Supply LLC of Lubbock, Texas.

Did we miss anything? Please send M&A announcements to editor@mdm.com. We also welcome suggestions for “Behind the Deal,” our occasional series that takes a deep dive into market-shifting moves in wholesale distribution.

Miss Our Virtual M&A Summit?

If you weren’t able to attend MDM’s Virtual M&A Summit last week, you can still watch the event on-demand. Click here to register. You’ll have nearly six hours of content that’s available through April.

In addition to transaction news, MDM also posted plenty of general M&A coverage last month. Click here to read about the importance of documenting how your businesses navigated the pandemic before pursuing a sale. And click here for a deep dive on the impact of taxes on a deal.