Oxygen Plus (O+), based in Minneapolis, MN, completed the acquisition of California-based recreational oxygen company, O2 Naked Air.
Oxygen Plus initiated discussions with O2 Naked Air’s Founder, Kelli Lazalier, in April of 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. The awareness around the need and benefits of oxygen during the pandemic created a consumer demand for personal oxygen that brought the two competitors together, revealing the mutual fit to this acquisition.
Oxygen Plus sold O2 Naked Air’s small-sized oxygen canister during the COVID-19 surge with its oxygen products. O2 Naked Air recognized the opportunity to collaborate and sell oxygen through Oxygen Plus.
“I first partnered with Oxygen Plus because I knew we shared similar values about how recreational oxygen should be manufactured, marketed and sold,” said Lazalier. “After Oxygen Plus stepped up to the plate, delivering the oxygen to people who wanted to breathe easier during the pandemic, I was emboldened to move on to new endeavors knowing our work in this category would not be in vain.”
“The recreational oxygen category has definite staying power, but the business behind it isn’t for the faint of heart,” said Lauren Carlstrom, COO, Oxygen Plus. “Coming on the scene in 2011, O2 Naked Air was one of our first competitors and unlike others who have come and gone, the brand virtuously navigated our category’s entrepreneurial challenges. We’re grateful to welcome new consumers and retailers in sport, travel and hospitality to O+.”
Photo courtesy Oxygen Plus
