Branded has acquired Heyday to form Essor, a digitally native CPG platform with $400 million in annual revenue and more than 1 billion social views.
Featuring "substantial and growing profitability," Essor comprises brands like Boka, Puracy, ZitSticka, FreshCap, OTOTO Design, Viking Revolution and Iron Flask.
- Essor will be led by Pierre Poignant, co-founder and CEO of Branded, who will serve as CEO of the new organization.
- Sebastian Rymarz, co-founder and CEO of Heyday, is taking the role of president.
- Ben Kaminski, co-founder and chairman of Branded, will serve as chairman.
The company has secured a new equity investment and credit facility to support Essor’s growth strategy, which includes organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.
"Essor, which means 'taking flight' in French, perfectly captures our vision of elevating brands to new heights and propelling them into a future filled with limitless possibilities,” says Poignant. “This acquisition represents a significant milestone in our journey of becoming the leading digital-first CPG company. By combining our resources and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to take brands to new heights, delivering unmatched value to our customers and stakeholders."
“Joining forces with Branded strengthens our platform, and, importantly, our balance sheet, putting us in a prime position to take advantage of the accelerating wave of digital-native brand acquisition opportunities,” says Rymarz.
"We are excited to bring together the complementary strengths of Branded and Heyday,” says Kaminski. “Pairing Heyday’s tech and retail channel expansion capabilities with Branded's proven operational excellence, new product development and global expansion playbook provides a defensible competitive advantage that multiplies the value we can unlock for our brands.”
