American Outdoor Brands Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire privately-owned Grilla Grills, a provider of barbecue grills, Wi-Fi-enabled wood pellet grills, smokers, accessories, and modular outdoor kitchens for $27 million in cash.
The purchase price is approximately $24 million after factoring in the future tax benefit resulting from the asset purchase.
American Outdoor Brands said the acquisition of Grilla will allow American Outdoor Brands to enter the estimated $7 billion, U.S. barbecue grill market with a direct-to-consumer brand that can benefit from the company’s Dock & Unlock strategy and drive growth in the company’s outdoor lifestyle product category.
The company said the grill market has been growing, with an estimated 9 million grills sold in the U.S. each year, driven by recent trends toward outdoor cooking. Grilla, founded in 2015 by Dave Shidler, owner & president, and Mark Graham, engineering & sales manager, has generated net sales growth of over 161 percent in the past two years, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 50 percent over the last five years, and calendar 2021 net sales of totaling over $15 million. The company has a loyal customer base, and its products are sold 100 percent direct-to-consumer on the company’s website and through two retail locations in Holland, Michigan and Dallas, TX.
Brian Murphy, president and CEO of American Outdoor Brands, said, “Expanding our outdoor lifestyle category is an important component of our long-term strategic plan, and today, we are excited to welcome Grilla Grills into the American Outdoor family of brands. We have carefully searched for acquisitions that are a fit for our brand lane structure, have plenty of runway for future growth, and allow us to leverage the investments we have made in our e-commerce platform by bringing complementary products and consumers into our brand portfolio. Through its commitment to quality, innovation, and its customers, Grilla has developed a highly respected and authentic brand that aligns well with our core values and is a perfect fit within our outdoor lifestyle brand offering. We look forward to leveraging our Dock & Unlock™ strategy to take Grilla to the next level by further expanding its innovative and high-quality product line, broadening its loyal consumer base, and delivering sustainable future growth.
Dave Shidler, president of Grilla, said, “We founded Grilla Grills over seven years ago out of a desire to provide consumers with high-quality, innovative grills and exceptional customer service, allowing them to be stars in their own backyards. Once we met the team at American Outdoors Brands, it quickly became clear that they share our passion for innovation, the customer experience, and the outdoors. We are excited to join forces and take Grilla into its next phase of growth as part of the American Outdoor Brands family.”
American Outdoor Brands negotiated directly with the seller on the transaction, which will be structured as an asset acquisition and is expected to be immediately accretive to American Outdoor Brands net sales and non-GAAP net income. The transaction is expected to be completed in the coming days, following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. American Outdoor Brands expects to fund the acquisition utilizing a combination of cash on hand and availability from the company’s existing line of credit. In conjunction with the asset acquisition, TD Bank has approved an amendment to the company’s current Loan and Security Agreement, increasing the capacity on the revolving line of credit from $50 million to $75 million, with no change to the existing $15 million accordion feature. The amendment is expected to close within the next two weeks.
American Outdoor Brands’s portfolio of brands includes Caldwell, Wheeler, Tipton, Frankford Arsenal, Hooyman; BOG, MEAT!, Uncle Henry, Old Timer, Imperial, Crimson Trace, LaserLyte, Lockdown, ust, Bubba, and Schrade.
Photo courtesy Grilla Grills
