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This Just In

Emerald Acquires PlumRiver

Andrea Doyle, Senior News Editor

NEW YORK — Emerald has acquired PlumRiver, a leading international provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology.

PlumRiver’s Elastic Suite streamlines the wholesale buying process for both brands and retail buyers, creating a digital year-round transactional platform.

“Over the course of 2020, we launched many digital product offerings focused on customer engagement, new customer acquisition, and delivering high-value customer solutions. From our customers’ feedback, the highest value of these needs is clearly centered on the transaction between buyer and seller,” said Brian Field, Emerald’s Chief Operating Officer. “Through our acquisition of PlumRiver and the Elastic platform, we now have the capability to offer a full spectrum of bundled solutions to our customers — from product discovery and lead generation to transactions — across both in-person, face-to-face events as well as year-round, digital opportunities.”

Brian Field, Emerald’s Chief Operating Officer

Emerald spent a large part of 2020 exploring companies for potential acquisition in this space. “In PlumRiver, we found a fantastic product and dynamic team that had built a powerful platform with a roster of large, and extremely loyal customer brands,” Field continued.

The acquisition will accelerate Emerald’s strategy to provide 365-days-per-year engagement for its customer base regardless of location by significantly expanding its digital commerce capabilities. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration capabilities will allow customers to manage orders and keep track of real-time inventory and product merchandising.

PlumRiver, founded in 2002, is integrated with preeminent manufacturers and retailers across numerous industries, most notably in the outdoor, surf, cycling, footwear, and sporting goods verticals, and will complement Emerald’s portfolio of leading show brands including Outdoor Retailer and SurfExpo, among others.

PlumRiver’s Elastic B2B platform bridges the gap between sellers’ order processing systems and allows brands to sell directly to their buyers using print-free digital product catalogs and merchandising technology. This enables clients to increase their efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and profitability.  Key client brands include Patagonia, The North Face, Burton, Shimano, Scott Sports, Rip Curl, Boardriders, Volcom, Timberland, New Balance, Vans, Orvis, and Puma.

This acquisition expands Emerald’s geographical reach as the PlumRiver team spans the United States, China, Spain, and France.

“The acquisition of PlumRiver is a natural extension of our live events business; we can now offer a complimentary, year-round interaction and transaction

Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s President and Chief Executive Officer

platform,” added Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “PlumRiver’s technology is already used by world-class clients and will foster increased engagement between Emerald and our customers. Importantly, the Elastic B2B eCommerce SaaS solution is expected to strengthen our existing live events, expanding both their relevance and growth profile, while also bringing an additive subscription-based revenue stream to Emerald.”

Sedky’s official start date as President and CEO of Emerald was January 4; news of this acquisition was released on January 5 to coincide with the opening of Surf Expo, a global watersports and beach lifestyle trade show being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Related. Learn more about Sedky’s new gig at Emerald here.

“Elastic has clearly emerged as the preferred wholesale purchasing and digital merchandising solution among both brands and retailers. Looking forward, I couldn’t be more encouraged by the opportunity to establish Elastic as the standard B2B e-commerce solution across even more verticals as we expand our business through our combination with Emerald. Their portfolio of industry-leading events provides significant growth opportunities for our solutions,” said Josh Reddin, Chief Executive Officer of PlumRiver.

Reach Emerald at (949) 226-5700.

 

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