E-Commerce Acquisitions in 2022

L Catterton's Latin America fund led a $70 million financing round in Razor Group to support Razor’s global roll-up strategy. As part of its international expansion, Razor Group acquired VALOREO, a Latin America-focused e-commerce holding with operations across Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.

L Catterton, a global consumer-focused investment firm, has made a growth investment in BloomChic, a digital-first plus-size women's fashion brand. The capital will help BloomChic scale operations, deepen product development, and expand its geographic reach across key markets.

Summa Equity, Verdane and Kinnevik are investing NOK 1.5 billion of new equity in Norwegian online grocery retailer Oda to support its profitable growth and international expansion. Existing shareholders (including Rasmussen Group and Prosus) are contributing an additional NOK 621 million through debt conversion, giving Oda an implied post-transaction equity value of approximately NOK 3.5 billion.

Purivitae Ventures, a St. Louis-based investment platform focused on consumer healthcare and wellness, has acquired QUADROPRESS, an eCommerce home fitness brand. The deal adds a performing product lineup, a scalable e‑fulfillment platform and a dedicated customer community to Purivitae's portfolio, enabling faster expansion of fitness product offerings and enhanced eCommerce capabilities.

WILsquare Capital, a St. Louis-based private equity firm, completed a majority recapitalization of Resident Essentials (Entropic, Inc.), a Weymouth, Massachusetts-based e-commerce/catalog supplier of adaptive clothing and home healthcare products for senior care facilities. Founder Jeff Garber retained significant equity and will remain on the board; David Lonczak was named CEO to lead the next phase of growth.

Blackford Capital, a lower middle-market private equity firm, has acquired Starfire Direct, a Temecula-based direct-to-consumer leader in the patio and hearth market. The deal is the first investment in Blackford's 'Patio Consolidation' platform and will keep Starfire's management in place while pursuing organic growth, improved operations and further add-on acquisitions.

Amaze Software Inc. acquired Spring (formerly Teespring), integrating Spring’s merchandising platform and its network of creator stores to expand Amaze’s creator commerce capabilities. The deal brings Spring’s millions of creator storefronts and merchandising tools into Amaze’s platform to accelerate social commerce, product creation, and managed services for creators and brands.

On November 4, 2022 KCM Capital Partners and Prairie Capital (Prairie Capital VII), in partnership with Royal Distributing management, completed a recapitalization of Royal Distributing, an omnichannel Canadian powersports aftermarket retailer and distributor. The transaction will support company-building initiatives — including investments in people, sales & marketing, technology and infrastructure — and fund add-on acquisitions to accelerate growth.

Turn5, the operator of AmericanMuscle, ExtremeTerrain and AmericanTrucks, has acquired Eckler's, a specialty e-tailer of automotive restoration parts and accessories. Prestwick acted as exclusive advisor to Eckler's; financial terms were not disclosed.

Giftcraft Ltd., a portfolio company of Indianapolis-based private equity firm CID Capital, has acquired RipSkirt Hawaii, a direct-to-consumer beachwear apparel brand. Terms were not disclosed; the deal is intended to accelerate Giftcraft’s digital and direct-to-consumer capabilities by leveraging Giftcraft’s sourcing, distribution and support with RipSkirt’s digital marketing strength.

Digital Fuel Capital, a private equity firm focused on e-commerce, announced a majority investment in PuppySpot, the leading online puppy placement marketplace. The investment will support PuppySpot’s next phase of growth by investing in performance marketing, technology and marketplace capabilities to expand its consumer-facing platform.

JM Bullion, Inc., a wholly-owned direct-to-consumer subsidiary of A-Mark Precious Metals, acquired certain assets of BGASC, LLC for $4.5 million in cash. The assets — including BGASC's website, domain, trademarks, customer list and IP — will be operated as a standalone brand to expand A-Mark's DTC portfolio.

GOAT Group has agreed to acquire Grailed in a cash-and-stock deal, combining the two resale marketplaces to expand GOAT's apparel and accessories offering and unite their global communities. The acquisition follows GOAT's prior investment in Grailed in September 2021 and is expected to close subject to customary approvals.

IK Partners and EMZ Partners have acquired a minority stake in Wishcard Technologies Group, with Oakley Capital Fund IV selling part of its holding and retaining a residual share. The investment consortium will support Wishcard’s product and service expansion and further international growth while enabling the founders and management to regain a majority position.

Domain marketplace Odys Global has acquired JuiceMarket.com, bringing the aged-domain marketplace and its founder Sean Markey into Odys’ portfolio. The acquisition will be used to expand Odys’ marketplace offerings and launch Odys Spotlight content curated by Sean Markey to provide SEO insights and domain analysis.

Society Brands, an e-commerce aggregator, has acquired Milford, New Hampshire-based Yankee Toy Box, a retailer of licensed-character children's apparel, footwear and accessories. Founders Lisa and Kermit Zerr will remain involved (Lisa as Brand President) as the brand joins Society Brands' portfolio to accelerate channel expansion and product growth.

Society Brands, an ecommerce aggregator, has acquired Orange County–based Barnesmith, a leading collegiate apparel brand. Founder Eric Barnes will remain as Brand President as the business expands its product lines and college coverage within Society Brands' portfolio.

GiddyUp, working with Ace Hardware, acquired the brand and assets of The Grommet to preserve the curated marketplace for makers and expand its global reach. The deal rescues the shuttered Somerville-based e-commerce curator and aims to amplify distribution and exposure for small-business makers through GiddyUp's marketing channels and Ace’s retail footprint.

Sentinel Capital Partners has acquired SmartSign, an e-commerce leader in customizable signs, labels, and tags headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Sentinel partnered with SmartSign's management team and incumbent investor Norwest (Norwest Venture Partners) to support SmartSign's continued organic and acquisitive growth; terms were not disclosed.

Turkey’s Armut and Italy’s ProntoPro have merged and raised €15 million in a funding round led by ProntoPro’s existing investors to create a leading local services marketplace across EMEA. The combined business will operate in 14 countries with expanded product and headcount investment to accelerate geographic expansion and market leadership.

Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. acquired the capital stock of Noa Home Inc., a Montreal-based mid-priced e-commerce furniture retailer with operations in Canada, Australia, Singapore and the U.K. The purchase included approximately C$2.0 million in cash to the co-founders and C$5.7 million to repay debt; Bassett said the deal will expand its digital commerce capabilities and help attract digitally native consumers.

Other World Computing (OWC) has acquired SellYourMac.com, a leading Apple trade-in and recommerce platform. The deal brings SellYourMac.com's trade-in website and technology into OWC's Apple Refurbishments division to expand OWC's capabilities in buying, refurbishing, and reselling used Apple devices.

Oakley Capital Fund V is making a follow-on minority investment in Facile.it alongside Silver Lake after the sale of Oakley Capital Fund III's stake. The investment will support Facile.it — Italy's largest online price comparison platform headquartered in Milan — to broaden its product range and accelerate growth across core and recently launched verticals.

eBay Inc. has acquired the myFitment group of companies (including myFitment, LLC and Illumaware, LLC) to bring vehicle fitment and parts-matching technology in-house. The acquisition aims to improve the parts & accessories listing experience by reducing returns and increasing buyer satisfaction across eBay's motors category.

eBay Inc. agreed to acquire TCGplayer, a leading online marketplace and technology provider for collectible trading card enthusiasts, for up to approximately $295 million. TCGplayer will continue to operate autonomously while the deal expands eBay's trading-cards category and adds omnichannel capabilities such as order fulfillment, cart optimization and seller tools.

Seawall Capital has made a strategic investment in Sports Endeavors, the Hillsborough, North Carolina-based owner of Soccer.com, WorldSoccerShop and 431 Sports. The transaction will partner Seawall with founders Mike and Brendan Moylan to accelerate growth, expand capabilities (including team uniform customization and DTC/e‑commerce operations) and position the business to capture rising youth-soccer and fan demand ahead of the 2026 World Cup; debt financing was provided by Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit and Huntington Business Credit.

Pantastic Networks acquired LimeSpot Solutions Inc., an AI-powered ecommerce personalization application used by thousands of Shopify and BigCommerce merchants. The deal adds LimeSpot's recommendation, segmentation and Google Shopping optimization products to Pantastic's suite, expanding its capabilities across the customer journey for independent ecommerce brands.

Signet Jewelers Limited has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Blue Nile, Inc. for $360 million in cash. The acquisition brings Blue Nile’s online engagement-ring and fine-jewelry capabilities into Signet’s portfolio to expand bridal offerings, extend Signet’s digital leadership, and grow its Accessible Luxury segment.

Simi Valley-based Entertainment Earth, a leading online retailer and wholesaler of licensed collectibles, received a strategic growth investment from IVEST Consumer Partners and Equity Group Investments. The company's founders and senior management retain significant ownership and will continue to lead the business; the capital will be used to accelerate growth and provide strategic support. Terms were not disclosed.

Profound Commerce acquired a portfolio of marketplace-native e-commerce brands from FBA Capital Management. As part of the deal, FBA Capital Management principals will join Profound Commerce's leadership and will take a minority stake in Profound Commerce, while the acquisition immediately increases Profound Commerce's topline revenue and contribution margin.

Delta Galil Industries has acquired the Organic Basics brand and certain related assets from its founders/owners; terms were not disclosed. Delta Galil plans to expand the digitally native sustainable apparel brand globally — particularly in the US and Europe — and extend the product line to include baby and kids items while scaling its direct-to-consumer e-commerce offering.

Roebling Capital Partners acquired The Porch Swing Company, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of porch swings and outdoor furniture. The transaction was financed with unitranche debt and a co-investment from Brookside Capital Partners, with additional funding from Harbert Credit Solutions and several individual co-investors.

Pattern Brands, a New York–based portfolio of direct-to-consumer home and lifestyle brands, raised $25M in a Series B and used the capital to acquire stationery/home-goods brand Poketo and tabletop/apothecary brand YIELD. The acquisitions expand Pattern Brands’ portfolio and give the platform additional DTC and retail-ready consumer brands to scale using its shared operations and e-commerce infrastructure.

TCGplayer has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CFB Group’s businesses — ChannelFireball (content, marketplace, events) and BinderPOS (inventory management and POS). The deal brings together TCGplayer’s marketplace and authentication capabilities with ChannelFireball’s content and BinderPOS’s retail POS/SaaS capabilities to deepen retailer integration and expand into broader collectibles verticals.

Summit Park has led a majority recapitalization of Artifact Uprising, a Denver-based direct-to-consumer maker of premium personalized photo books, prints and gifts. Digital Fuel Capital, which partnered with management to acquire the company in 2017, will remain a significant investor as Summit Park supports product development, customer experience investment and brand growth.

Brooklyn Bedding and Helix Sleep (together the Brooklyn-Helix platform) have acquired Bear Mattress, a direct-to-consumer mattress brand focused on active lifestyles. The deal expands the Brooklyn-Helix DTC mattress platform and adds Bear's sleep-recovery product line and accessories to the combined group's vertically integrated manufacturing and digital capabilities.

Pittsburgh-based private equity firm Incline Equity Partners recapitalized Raney's, an Ocala, Florida–based e-commerce distributor of aftermarket heavy‑duty truck parts and accessories. The recapitalization will fund investments in technology and inventory management, expand Raney's private‑label offerings, and support M&A to grow the business.

Equistone Partners Europe has acquired a majority stake in Virgin Experience Days from Inflexion Private Equity; financial terms were not disclosed. Inflexion will retain a minority stake and the management team will reinvest; Equistone plans to support platform development and accelerate the company’s roll-out in the US.

EMMA Capital has acquired a majority stake in FAVI from Pale Fire Capital, marking Pale Fire Capital’s exit from the portfolio company. FAVI is a Europe-focused furniture and home accessories search engine/marketplace that operates across multiple countries and will join EMMA Capital’s portfolio to support further growth and synergies.

Queenly, the San Francisco–based marketplace for formalwear, has acquired Mi Padrino, a quinceañera-focused event planning and dress marketplace that reached over 3 million families. The deal folds Mi Padrino into Queenly, giving Queenly access to 115,000 users, 350+ quinceañera and bridal dress vendors, and expanded inventory to better serve the Latinx quinceañera and formalwear market; the purchase price was not disclosed.

efectoLED, a Miura Partners-backed online LED lighting platform, has acquired Lyco Group, a leading UK online lighting distributor. The deal strengthens efectoLED's presence in the UK and accelerates its pan‑European expansion supported by logistics capacity increases and financial backing from LGT Capital Partners.

Foresight Group, using equity from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, has made a £600,000 growth capital investment into Lillicoco Limited, a Bristol-based online retailer of affordable luxury antique and vintage women's jewellery. The funding will support senior hires, the opening of a Birmingham workshop near the Jewellery Quarter and broader inventory and market expansion.

EBG, a U.S. e-commerce solutions provider specializing in travel and entertainment, has acquired Undercover Tourist, a consumer-focused online travel marketplace and theme-park ticket reseller. The acquisition expands EBG's portfolio into the B2C travel market and preserves the Undercover Tourist brand as a separate business unit to support national product growth and enhanced consumer content.

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board has closed an investment in Orva, a full-service e-commerce platform, alongside Trilantic North America and the Aizer and Shalom families. The capital will support Orva's continued scaling as a data-driven e-commerce partner for footwear, apparel and home brands; terms were not disclosed.

Spartoo has completed the acquisition of a minority stake in French digital-native fashion brand SAAJ via a capital increase. The investment is intended to accelerate SAAJ's development and support the brand's growth.

ESW, a Dublin-based global direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce company and an Asendia Group company, has completed its acquisition of Scalefast, a Los Angeles-based end-to-end ecommerce solution provider. The deal augments ESW's DTC technology and services with Scalefast's specialty store platform and data analytics capabilities to accelerate speed-to-market for retailers and brands across multiple categories.

Silver Lake has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Facile.it from EQT VIII and Oakley Capital, backing the Milan-based online price comparison platform for its next phase of growth. Facile.it — founded in 2008 and serving over 4 million monthly users with ~€140m revenue in 2021 — will leverage Silver Lake's tech-investing expertise to broaden its product range and accelerate expansion; the deal is expected to close in Q3 2022.

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan has acquired Talabeyah, a B2B FMCG e-commerce and distribution platform founded in 2020. The acquisition integrates Talabeyah's digital wholesale marketplace and supplier contracts into MNT-Halan's payments, lending, and merchant ecosystem to scale nationwide and increase merchant stickiness; terms were not disclosed.

eBay Inc. acquired KnownOrigin, a Manchester-based NFT marketplace, to expand its digital collectibles and creator marketplace capabilities. The deal closed on June 22, 2022; financial terms were not disclosed.

Pinterest has completed the acquisition of THE YES, an AI-powered fashion shopping platform that personalizes product feeds based on user preferences. Pinterest will sunset THE YES app and integrate the team and technology to accelerate its taste-driven shopping efforts; financial terms were not disclosed.