MDM reported 22 transactions in February — either pending or completed — involving at least one distributor in the building supply, industrial or commercial hardgoods sectors. This figure was equivalent to the 22 transactions posted in January and declined slightly from the 25 in December. Compared to recent historical standards, February’s activity was lower, also marking a slight decrease from the 24 M&A deals reported in February 2024.

To recap, MDM’s year-to-date total for 2024 reached 346 transactions, averaging 28.8 deals per month. That was well ahead of the 304/25.3 in 2023. So, the 22 deals in both January and February has 2025 off to a notably slower start than 2024’s pace.

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Here’s how distributor deal activity has looked since the start of 2024, according to MDM news coverage of such items per month:

Notably, HVAC distributors Republic Companies and T.F. Ehrhart announced on Feb. 14 that the companies have merged to enhance service offerings and strengthen its market position. Combined, the companies will operate from 10 locations offering customers a range of products and services from brands such as York, Luxaire, Mitsubishi, Gree, Samsung and more.

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Meanwhile, Imperial Dade and Motion announced acquisitions during February, while fellow MDM Top Distributors DXP, White Cap and US LBM also made deals.

Find our rundown of February distributor M&A news below, mostly in reverse chronological order.

MDM’s February 2025 Distributor M&A News Coverage

(click links to view news briefs)

Somerset, PA-based aftermarket parts distributor Wheeler Fleet Solutions was acquired by middle market private equity firm One Equity Partners.

Foodservice, packaging supplies, industrial products and janitorial supplies distributor Imperial Dade acquired Athens Janitor Supply Co and Chittom Industries as one transaction.

Electricity, water and fuel systems and technologies distributor and manufacturer Franklin Electric agreed to acquire Columbia-based Barnes de Colombia and Australia-based PumpEng.

HVAC distributors Republic Companies and T.F. Ehrhart announced on Feb. 14 that the companies have merged to enhance service offerings and strengthen its market position.

MRO replacement parts distributor Motion agreed to acquire the operating assets of Thompson Industrial Supply, Inc.

San Diego, CA-based military and aerospace-oriented MRO distributor Airsupply Jeyco was acquired by buyout firm Tide Rock.

Instrumentation and automation, rotating equipment, valve, purification and thermal equipment distributor Relevant Industrial acquired Controlled Fluids, Inc.

Private equity firm Platinum Equity announced a significant investment in home appliance distributor R&B Wholesale Distributors.

Specialty ingredients and chemicals distributor Univar Solutions acquired U.K.-based Brad-Chem Holdings — a distributor of corrosion control products and lubricant additives.

Pumping solutions and industrial supplies distributor DXP Enterprises acquired Arroyo Process Equipment.

Industrial gases distributor Maine Oxy acquired the assets of welding supplies distributor Strate Welding Supply Co.

Phoenix-based Lift and rigging products distribution and fabrication platform Ascent Lifting acquired Charleston’s Rigging & Marine Hardware on Feb. 3.

Construction and industrial supplies distributor White Cap acquired JLA Supply.

On Feb. 4, ORS Nasco President and CEO Kevin Short announced that the industrial supplies master distributor had acquired safety products redistributor R3 Safety.

Building materials distributor US LBM acquired Walker Lumber & Supply in Tennessee and Goodrich Brothers in Michigan.

Paper, packaging, wide format products and facilities solutions distributor Kelly Spicers acquired Creative Packaging Group.

Industrial equipment distributor OTC Industrial Technologies acquired rotating equipment distributor Premier Equipment Corporation and control panel maker Premier Control Systems — both in Baton Rouge, LA.

Muskego, WI-based fluid power distributor and control systems provider J.M. Grimstad acquired Galland Henning Balers.

Dallas-based building controls, automation and gas detection solutions distributor Building Controls & Solutions was acquired by Denver-based private equity firm Platte River Equity from LKCM Headwater Investments.

What’d We Miss?

Of course, the list above doesn’t encompass every M&A deal announced during December for relevant distributors. There will always be deals that weren’t on our radar. If you don’t see one here you think should be included, please let us know at [email protected].

MDM’s Quarterly and Monthly M&A Reports

• Here’s our M&A Playbook
• Here’s our 4Q24 M&A Report(Premium)
• 3Q24 M&A Report(Premium)
• 2Q24 M&A Report(Premium)
• 1Q24 M&A Report(Premium)
  • These four Premium reports are also available for purchase in the MDM Store
• January 2025 M&A Roundup
• December 2024 M&A Roundup
• November 2024 M&A Roundup