Though October lacked the sizzle of September when Sonepar agreed to purchase IDG, last month provided some notable acquisitions in the distribution industry, specifically in the building materials sector.
Beacon Roofing Supply, Herndon, VA, made two acquisitions in October, strengthening its presence in Texas and New England.
The company, No. 4 on MDM's 2014 Market Leaders for Building Materials & Construction Distributors, first acquired Applicators Sales & Service, a Portland, ME, distributor of residential roofing, siding, windows and related accessories. Applicators, which operates four branches in Maine and one in New Hampshire, has annual sales of $48 million. Beacon later acquired Wholesale Roofing Supply, a Dallas, TX, distributor of residential roofing materials whose sales are expected to hit $34 million in 2014.
Also in the building materials sector, Builders FirstSource acquired Trim Tech of Austin Inc., Distribution International Inc. acquired Mechanical Insulation Supply Inc., and US LBM Holdings acquired Standard Companies Inc.
The M&A trend in the buildings materials sector went global in October as well, with Advent International acquiring Belgian manufacturer Corialis and European building materials supplier Saint-Gobain acquiring Atlas Zimpara.
But the biggest news in M&A could be the anticipation of more activity nationally, along with hints that MSC Industrial Direct is looking at more acquisitions following the successful 2013 purchase of Barnes Distribution North America, the largest acquisition in company history.
Here are other key deals that occurred in October 2014:
Fastenal Acquires Aerospace Distributor Av-Tech Industries
Wolseley Industrial Canada Acquires Goodman Industrial
Rexel Enters Saudi Arabia through Joint Venture
Rexel Acquires Thai company 4 Knights International
WinWholesale Opens Greenville Winsupply in South Carolina
Bunzl Acquires De Ridder Groep BV of the Netherlands
Lincoln Electric Buys Easom Automated Systems
Carlisle Buys Graco's Liquid Finishing Business for $590 Million
Sandvik to Divest Power Spring Business in U.S., Mexico
Equipment Sales and Service Acquired by MagneGas
Lindstrom Acquires Titan Fastener Products
Catch up with more deals in distribution and manufacturing at our M&A news page.