Pure Fishing Inc., a platform company of the private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has acquired fishing brands Fin-Nor and Van Staal from W.C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings Inc. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
The addition of these brands add to Pure Fishing’s dominant offering in the saltwater category, including the premium PENN Fishing brand, one of the most widely respected saltwater fishing equipment brands.
Announced Tuesday, the company will work quickly to bring newness and marketing support to these two brands in order to accelerate momentum as part of Pure Fishing’s ongoing focus on driving growth of the fishing industry. Captain Craig Cantelmo will also be joining the Pure fishing team as part of this acquisition. Cantelmo will be reporting to Dave Bulthuis, Pure Fishing’s newly appointed president of North America, who was the director of sales for Fin-Nor earlier in his career.
“The Fin-Nor and Van Staal brands are some of the most storied brands in the fishing industry,” said Harlan Kent, CEO of Pure Fishing. “We are excited to add them to our portfolio and are committed to maintaining their focus on the independent retailer channel. Our Pure Fishing team looks forward to driving growth of these brands and of our overall saltwater business anchored by the iconic PENN brand.”
Fin-Nor began in 1933, the result of a collaboration between Captain Tommy Gifford and inventor Frederick Martin Grieten, along with a few other salty Miami captains, created a prototype reel that caught a 527-pound bluefin tuna in Cat Cay. This event carved out a unique position for the brand and Fin-Nor reels have racked up more than 900 International Gamefish Association (IGFA) records in the years since.
Van Staal, created in the early 90s stemming from a need to fulfill extreme performance in challenging saltwater conditions. The brand was born in the salt, rock, sand and surf of the Atlantic Ocean and has been building equipment with the same durability and performance attributes ever since.
Sycamore Partners acquired Pure Fishing from Newell Brands in November 2018 for $1.3 billion. The acquisition closed in January.
Photo courtesy Pure Fishing Inc.
