As reported earlier today in a PPB Newslink Breaking News, distributor A Brand Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Design Accessories, Inc., a Virginia-based promotional marketing organization. The deal includes Design Accessories’ two subsidiaries, Design Marketing and PerformanceLink Systems, Inc.

Design Marketing, a promotional marketing distributor, will be folded into BrandAlliance in early 2016 when Activate! Promotions + Marketing (UPIC: Activate) completes its re-brand as the largest operating entity under A Brand Company. Toronto, Ontario-based BrandAlliance and Charlotte, North Carolina-based A Brand Company, parent of distributor Activate! Promotions + Marketing announced their merger in July. PerformanceLink will remain autonomous and serve as an operating entity under A Brand Company.

“I am excited to welcome another extraordinary addition to our organization,” says Fred Parker, CEO of A Brand Company. “More and more clients are asking for the ability to smartly measure, gauge and reward their employees’ performance. With this deal, we are bringing in the experienced talent and laying the framework to offer those high-demand capabilities.”

Cynthia Lawrence, who will remain president of PerformanceLink Systems, says, “The global competition for talent continues to increase. PerformanceLink directly addresses the need for organizations to retain their talent by building a high-performance workplace culture and engaging their employees within that culture. A Brand Company is going to allow PerformanceLink to grow our footprint and we are thrilled to be a part of such a visionary company.”

This acquisition provides A Brand Company with a more sophisticated, data-driven solution in the burgeoning incentive and recognition space, along with a greater presence in the mid-Atlantic region. For Design Accessories, Inc. and its subsidiaries, the deal means receiving the financial support, North American coverage and combined industry expertise necessary to compete in an aggressive international arena.