Galls, a distributor of uniforms and equipment to the public safety market and a portfolio company of CI Capital Partners, has acquired Best Uniforms, a regional distributor of similar products to public safety and transit personnel.
Galls was acquired by CI Capital Partners in September 2011 as a platform investment in the public safety products market. The buy of Best Uniforms is the third add-on acquisition for Galls under CI Capital’s ownership. The company also purchased Quartermaster in January 2012 and Roy Tailors Uniform Co. in September 2013.
Best Uniforms provides uniforms and accessories to police, fire, EMS, industrial, transit and hospitality employees. The company also operates under the name of Century Uniforms, which was acquired by Best Uniforms earlier this year. Best Uniforms has facilities in North Carolina (Raleigh, Goldsboro, and Charlotte) and in Virginia (Richmond and Norfolk). The company is headquartered in Wilmington, NC (www.bestuniformsinc.com).
“We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Best Uniforms,” said Michael Wessner, chief executive officer of Galls. “Best Uniforms is a leader in the North Carolina and Virginia markets and has distinguished itself through excellent service in its stores. We are excited to build on Best Uniforms’ success by pairing it with Galls’ breadth of product assortment, national distribution capabilities, catalog and web presence, as well as our premier information technology infrastructure.”
Galls, together with its subsidiary Quartermaster, represents the largest distributor of uniforms, supplies and equipment to public safety personnel, including police, fire, EMS/EMT, private security, corrections, and federal/military. Products include customized uniforms, sunglasses, boots and shoes, body armor, handcuffs, medical kids, light bars, and a range of other equipment, supplies and gear. The company sells and services its products through its e-commerce site, national catalog, dedicated sales representatives, nine retail stores and five service centers. Galls has approximately 600 employees. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Lexington, KY (www.Galls.com).
CI Capital Partners invests from $25 million to $100 million in middle market companies in the following sectors: business services, consumer services, distribution, government services and defense, and light manufacturing. Since founding in 1993, CI Capital and its portfolio companies have made more than 125 acquisitions representing over $7 billion in enterprise value. CI Capital’s existing portfolio consists of companies which collectively generate annual revenue of approximately $4 billion, EBITDA of approximately $400 million, and employ approximately 14,000 people. The firm is based in New York (www.cicapllc.com).
2014 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 8-20-14
