News

Acquisition

Memphis, TN September 16, 2020

Highline Aftermarket, a Portfolio Company of The Sterling Group, Announces Acquisition of Plews Retail

Highline Aftermarket, a portfolio company of The Sterling Group, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Plews & Edelmann’s Retail segment (“Plews Retail”). Highline is a leading distributor of consumable branded and private label automotive chemicals, lubrication, filtration products, parts, tools and accessories with value-added capabilities in packaging and filling. Plews Retail is a leading designer and distributor of automotive and industrial tools and accessories, in categories like lubrication, air accessories, air hoses, and tire repair.

Well-known brands Amflo, Lubrimatic, and Tru-Flate will join Highline’s industry-leading stable of owned and licensed brands alongside Prime Guard, Service Champ, Rain-X, Shout, Windex, and others. These brands, products, and longstanding Plews Retail employees will join the Highline family and support its continued growth by leveraging trusted owned and licensed brands, 400-plus third-party national brands, extensive private-label capabilities, an unmatched sales team, and a national footprint with 15 distribution centers and eight manufacturing facilities.

“For more than 30 years, the Amflo, Lubrimatic, and Tru-Flate brands have been synonymous with quality across retail, industrial distribution, and the automotive aftermarket,” says Highline CEO Darcy Curran. “We’re excited to add the Plews Retail business to Highline’s growing national platform to better serve our customers together. This combination is a perfect strategic fit for Highline, and I welcome Plews Retail employees and customers to the Highline family.”

Plews Retail is Highline’s fifth acquisition since its formation in 2016. Highline has more than doubled in size during that time and will continue to pursue both organic and acquisition-related growth strategies.

About Highline Aftermarket

Headquartered in Memphis, TN, Highline Aftermarket is a leading national distributor of automotive products, with 15 distribution centers and eight state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities serving multiple channels across the aftermarket industry. With more than 500 employees, Highline serves as a critical link between manufacturers and customers, offering a robust portfolio of national brands, original-equipment replacement products, private-label goods, and in-house chemical blending and packaging. The #1 manufacturer of windshield wash in the U.S., Highline is part of The Sterling Group family of companies.

About The Sterling Group

Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is a private equity investment firm that targets controlling interests in basic manufacturing, distribution and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 57 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $14.0 billion. Currently, Sterling has over $4.0 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit www.sterling-group.com.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results and all investments are subject to loss.

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