SOUND UNITED ACQUIRES D&M HOLDINGS
Sources today have told StereoNET that Sound United, the parent company of brands including BOOM, Polk Audio and Definitive Technology, have acquired D+M Group.
D+M Group was formed in 2002 from the merger of Denon and Marantz and have since become the largest supplier of AV Receivers worldwide. The group also owns Denon’s subsidiary brand HEOS, as well as Boston Acoustics.
This latest acquisition creates a brand powerhouse for Sound United who themselves are only a relatively young company within the consumer audio market.
Locally, Polk Audio (Home) is distributed by Interdyn and Polk Audio (Car Audio & Headphones) by Directed Electronics. Denon and Marantz are distributed by Qualifi while Definitive Technology is represented by Advance Audio.
Sound United will likely be looking at bringing all the brands under the one umbrella for resources and logistical reasons.
Sound United's CEO, Kevin Duffy said:
Our existing customers and channel partners will benefit from the enhanced breadth and depth of the combined product portfolio, while our strategic suppliers should be well-positioned to expand with us as we grow.
However, sources say that there are no immediate plans for any changes to local distribution in Australia and New Zealand.
Gopal Govindram, Sound United’s Manager for the Asia Pacific region has also been vetting local PR companies recently.
In 2014 D&M Holdings struck up a partnership with Sound United, distributing both Polk Audio and Definitive Technology in the UK, France, Germany and other countries.
At the time, Duffy told CEPro:
With its robust portfolio of brands and distribution expertise, we look forward to building a long-term partnership with D&M as we continue to expand our business internationally.
The relationship between Sound United and D+M Group evidently blossomed over the last 2.5 years. Will the new arrangement mean HEOS enabled Polk Audio or Definitive Technology speakers? Denon's HEOS multiroom ecosystem has proven itself in a short time and under the new company may prove a real threat to category leader, Sonos. Time will tell.
For more information visit Sound United.
UPDATE (9:15 AM, 2nd March 2017): An official Press Release released overnight has confirmed our exclusive breaking story.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
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