RENOWNED UK loudspeaker and headphone maker Bowers & Wilkins is now officially under Sound United, home to hi-fi brands like Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Classé, Definitive Technology and Boston Acoustics.
“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,” said Sound United CEO Kevin Duffy.
“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 the Bowers & Wilkins brand president at Sound United. All worldwide third-party distribution and licensing agreements under which Bowers & Wilkins premium audio products are currently sold are part of this deal.
According to the Sound United press release, investing in additional brands enables the company to “better innovate across product categories, feature sets, technology partners, and consumer segments.”
Part of the acquisition deal will also see Sound United support the development of new Bowers & Wilkins products to support the brand’s position in the premium acoustic home audio market.
“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 Edwards
“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 a portfolio company of Boston-based private equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC. It was founded in 2012 with a mission to “bring joy to the world through sound.”
Bowers & Wilkins, founded in 1966, has been at the forefront of high-performance audio technology for more than 50 years, manufacturing precision home speakers, headphones and performance car audio products.
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