Sound United has announced that it has finalised the acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins.
Said Kevin Duffy, CEO at Sound United: “Acquiring Bowers & Wilkins combines its industry-leading acoustic design, engineering and manufacturing expertise in the premium category with Sound United’s scale, technical acumen and consumer reach to ensure Bowers & Wilkins thrives moving forward.
“Sound United has a strong track record of enthusiastically protecting each of its brands’ unique identities and core competencies, and our approach with Bowers & Wilkins will be no different. In fact, we believe the entire portfolio stands to benefit from the addition of Bowers & Wilkins, which in turn translates into exciting new products, technologies and opportunities for our consumers, distributors, dealers, and all audio enthusiasts around the world.”
Geoff Edwards will ensure continuity by becoming President of the Bowers & Wilkins brand at Sound United. The acquisition includes all worldwide third-party distribution and licensing agreements under which Bowers & Wilkins premium audio products are currently sold.
“This acquisition represents a new era for Bowers & Wilkins and offers a fresh opportunity to focus on what we do best: building the industry’s finest loudspeakers,” said Mr Edwards, CEO of Bowers & Wilkins. “We’re looking forward to combining our organisations and becoming a part of the industry’s strongest portfolio of premium audio brands.”
Sound United is the parent company to other brands including Denon, Polk Audio, Marantz, Definitive Technology, Classé, and Boston Acoustics; it is a portfolio company of a Boston-based private equity firm.
