Buyers Laboratory, a portfolio company of SFW Capital Partners, has acquired InfoTrends, a division of Questex. SFW acquired Buyers Laboratory in December 2011.
InfoTrends is a provider of market analysis, research and advisory services to the digital imaging industry with specializations in the production printing & digital media, office technology & services, and consumer & professional imaging segments. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered south of Boston in Weymouth, MA and has additional offices in Japan, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, China, and Israel (www.infotrends.com).
Buyers Laboratory (BLI) is a provider of analytical information, competitive intelligence, sales enablement and related services to the digital imaging industry. BLI supports all of the large Original Equipment Manufacturers, software and service companies, and more than 1,000 dealers in digital imaging equipment. The company’s products include field and laboratory test reports, product evaluations, and private testing. In addition, the company is known for its “Pick of the Year Awards” that recognize OEMs and products that have demonstrated outstanding performance. BLI is headquartered in Hackensack, NJ and has offices in Hong Kong and London (www.buyerslab.com).
The combination of these two companies will create a global team of over 125 subject matter experts and a portfolio of products and services covering the industry’s strategic planning, competitive intelligence and research, sales enablement and productivity, customer engagement and product development needs.
“We’ve long held that BLI and InfoTrends are highly complementary businesses with a shared focus on the global digital imaging industry,” said Gerry Stoia, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buyers Laboratory. “Combining BLI’s independent testing capabilities and exhaustive product knowledge with InfoTrends strategic market and research expertise is a powerful combination and will allow us to innovate across a broader portfolio of products and services and ultimately deliver greater value to our customers across the globe. We’re thrilled to be joining forces with the talented professionals at InfoTrends.”
SFW Capital Partners invests exclusively in analytical tools and related services companies, including providers of instrumentation, software, information and analytical services. The firm typically invests from $10 million to $75 million of equity in companies that have up to $25 million in EBITDA. SFW Capital Partners was founded by Roger Freeman and Thomas Salice and has offices in Rye, NY and Hudson, OH (www.sfwcap.com).
Questex – the seller of InfoTrends – is a digital media and events company. Questex was acquired by Shamrock Capital Advisors in September 2014 (www.questex.com). Shamrock has over $700 million of capital under management and invests in the media, entertainment, and communications sectors. Originally founded in 1978 as the Roy E. Disney family investment company, Shamrock is currently investing out of Shamrock Capital Growth Fund III, a $400 million fund raised in 2011. The firm is based in Los Angeles (www.shamrockcap.com).
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