Last updated on May 12th, 2016 at 10:17 am
C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, New Hampshire, plans to acquire Davidson Specialty Foods of Newington, Connecticut, increasing its supply of specialty and ethnic foods. The sale is expected to close in June.
Davidson provides direct store delivery (DSD) services for more than 6,000 specialty, kosher and ethnic products to independent and chain retailers across New England and the New York metropolitan area.
Davidson is the largest specialty distributor in New England and has built its business on its product expertise, personalized customer service and collaborative partnerships with retailers and manufacturers.
Current owner operators, Bob and Jim Rowe, will continue to manage the day-to-day operations, ensuring consistency for the vendors, customers and employees.
“As proven by the success and longevity of Davidson’s premium service model, the Rowe family and the Davidson team are certainly premier operators in the specialty food business,” said Rick Cohen, C&S chairman and CEO. “This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to invest in new products and services that are increasingly relevant to our customers, delivering on our promise to create ‘Braggingly Happy Customers.’ We are excited to learn from and grow with Davidson as we build this partnership.”
While Davidson will continue to operate as a separate organization, Cohen said the newly formed partnership would enrich C&S’s product offering to its existing customers. Additionally, Davidson’s full-service model adds to C&S’s current list of customer capabilities. The combination of the two family-run organizations, given C&S’s extensive distribution network, enables Davidson to expand its scale to new products, customers and markets.
“I can think of no finer partners than Rick Cohen and the C&S team,” said Bob Rowe, president of The Davidson Co.
Jim Rowe, Davidson’s SVP, said, “Becoming part of the C&S family, the nation’s leading grocery supplier and a company that shares our dedication to customer service, is very exciting and opens the door for significant growth opportunities.”
Bob Rowe added, “After 42 years it’s comforting to my family’s legacy in the food business. We have wanted to expand in both geography and product lines, natural and organic specifically. When C&S approached us with the same desire coupled with the vast distribution footprint, we knew C&S and Davidson together would be the dream team. We share the same dedication to customer service. Our flawless execution will be a powerful force and give us the ability to grow.”
The Rowes said nothing would change at Davidson.
“All employees will be hired and all we stand for with our vendors and customers will remain the same, nothing compromised. Rick Cohen and his entire team have been awesome, all very smart people and have been a pleasure working with throughout this deal. We are excited to be a part of C&S,” said Bob Rowe.
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