Aqua-Leisure Industries now under the portfolio of equity firm Blackford Capital

by Dave Flaherty | January 25, 2021 5:38 pm

Aqua-Leisure Industries, a water-sport leisure product development and aquatic goods brand, is now under the portfolio of Blackford Capital, a private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Blackford Capital, a private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich., is investing in Aqua-Leisure Industries, a water-sport leisure product development and aquatic goods brand.

Headquartered just outside of Boston, Mass., Aqua-Leisure was founded in 1970 and primarily serves the aquatic consumer products industry. The company is one of the largest designers and distributors of multiple lines of products under a variety of brand names and proprietary designs, including swim goggles, training products for children, and pool floats, among other categories.

“Aqua-Leisure has appealed to premier sporting goods and value channel consumers throughout our 50-year history. Our organization’s overall approach to market assessment, product design, supply chain logistics, and product positioning, whether through brick-and-mortar or e-commerce channels, has consistently delivered robust performance,” said Aqua-Leisure CEO Steve Berenson. “We serve some of the largest and most demanding customers in the world. We are excited about our partnership with Blackford Capital as it will create accelerated growth opportunities through expansion of current relationships and product lines, as well as evolving new categories and sales channels.”

Blackford Capital intends to help Aqua-Leisure seize opportunities to gain market share and capitalize on key industry trends, including unprecedented consumer demand through e-commerce and online sales channels. The company’s management team will continue in their current roles.

“We are thrilled to add Aqua-Leisure to our portfolio as another diversified consumer products business with a vision for continued evolution,” said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital. “The company has impressive and decades-long relationships with customers, which have strengthened recently as Aqua-Leisure’s products have experienced tremendous consumer demand for backyard use and ‘staycations’ driven by the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Throughout this period, Aqua-Leisure has proven itself to be an incredibly reliable partner and supplier.”

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/aqua-leisure-industries-now-under-the-portfolio-of-equity-firm-blackford-capital/