Stran & Company (PPAI 161542, D10) has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and business of Tomball, Texas-based distributor Trend Brand Solutions (PPAI 479548, D1).

The Acquisition:

Established in 2010, Trend Brand Solutions offers clients brand solutions from its headquarters in the Houston suburbs. It ships globally from its distribution center and has international partnerships to source as close to the end user as possible.

  • Trend’s propriety technologies solution, SMART BUY custom sites, has been used to develop more than 100 customer sites and to manage over 35,000 website transactions and shipping over 8,000 orders from inventory.

The proposed acquisition will expand Quincy, Massachusetts-headquartered Stran’s geographic presence in the South. The agreement also anticipates the retention of all Trend employees and Michael Krauser, chief executive officer of Trend, will become Stran’s regional vice president, leading Stran’s Texas region operations.

  • The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

In Their Words:

“We are excited to acquire Trend, as they bring an established platform and customer base,” says Andy Shape, president and chief executive officer of Stran. “This agreement to acquire Trend illustrates our commitment to growth through meaningful and complementary acquisitions. Trend is a perfect fit for Stran as it broadens our presence within the South, especially within the Houston area, which is home to two dozen Fortune 500 companies and ranks third among metro areas in Fortune 500 headquarters locations.

“Given Mike’s demonstrated track record, along with his team, we are excited to welcome them to the Stran family and look forward to building on Stran and Trend’s histories of success in the market.”

Krauser says, “This is an exciting time to be joining the Stran team as they have established themselves as a leader within the industry and are committed to growth and expansion around the nation. Trend is proud to become part of this growth and I’m thrilled that I will be leading Stran’s Texas region to create additional awareness of Stran in this growing market.”