Huge news out of Columbus, GA today, W.C. Bradley Co. has acquired Dansons US LLC and its subsidiaries, effective June 7th. For those not familiar with the two holding companies, W.C. Bradley Co. is the parent of brands like Char-Broil and Oklahoma Joe’s, while Dansons owns Pit Boss and Louisiana Grills.
We are excited to partner with the Dansons’ team. This combination is a natural fit of strong cultures, brands and partners.
James G. Hillenbrand, CEO of W. C. Bradley Co.
This deal drastically changes the grilling landscape, and it makes W.C. Bradley’s portfolio much stronger and more diverse.
Why it Makes Sense for W.C. Bradley Co.
While W.C. Bradley doesn’t release financial data, their brands likely make them the second largest grilling company in the world. They have one of the strongest portfolios with offset smokers at Oklahoma Joe’s to gas grills at Char-Broil, and everything in-between. They also even sell outdoor living accessories through their TIKI brand.
The only soft spot in their portfolio was with pellet grills. Oklahoma Joe’s sells the Rider series pellet grills, but they haven’t been terrible competitive in the market.
The addition of Dansons portfolio, which was founded on pellet grills, strengthens where they were weak. Louisiana Grills is a premium pellet grill brand, while Pit Boss is very well-known and liked.
While we’re focused on the grill brands, W.C. Bradley purchased all of Dansons, which includes other companies such as Surelock, a gun safe brand.
Why it Makes Sense for Dansons
Much like W.C. Bradley, Dansons was a private company that doesn’t release financial data. We did stumble upon that they had $365 million in revenue in 2020.
We also have heard unsubstantiated rumblings that they had fallen on tough times through the pandemic outdoor cooking crash. This acquisition likely fixes any financial troubles that they were having.
It also brings innovation to their brands. While we haven’t seen many exciting grill releases or patents from Pit Boss or Louisiana Grills recently, Char-Broil and Oklahoma Joe’s have had some of the most innovative products out.
Conclusion
We’re really excited about the addition to W.C. Bradley Co. We’ve liked the Pit Boss products that we’ve reviewed, so it’s great that they’ll now have a bigger corporate engine behind them.