Last year, Jeff Lederer had the entire industry talking when he returned to promo by taking over ownership of New Jersey-based distributor Myron (PPAI 143617, D11). He didn’t wait long into 2024 to make another splash. Myron announced Wednesday that it has acquired German-based distributor Schneider.

  • Lederer was formerly the owner and CEO of Prime Line before the company was folded into alphabroder.

“The acquisition of Schneider is an exciting step in our strategy to leverage Myron/Adler as a platform for acquisitions to bolster the vertical integration of the business and pursue an expanded B2C distribution strategy,” Lederer says. “We are making significant investments in technology to deliver unrivaled levels of service which will drive growth and make the company an attractive place to work for growth-minded salespeople.”

  • The Schneider brand will continue to operate as an independent company under the umbrella of Adler Holding, which is majority owned by GIG Myron Holdings LLC Group.

Myron’s Recent Journey

Myron has long been a known name in promotional products, which operated as a family business for more than 70 years, marketing directly to end users, distributors and suppliers through its decoration facilities.

  • Meanwhile, Lederer owned Prime Line and served as the company’s CEO before selling it to alphabroder. He transitioned to the role of president of alphabroder’s hard goods division, serving in that role for three years before leaving the industry in 2020.
  • In 2023, Lederer partnered with Christian Feuer, a private equity investor who has held CEO roles for marketing and retail brands.

At the time of their acquisition of Myron, which had previously been under the leadership of Jim Adler, the news came with a hint that Lederer and Feuer would continue to invest in companies with what they deem to be strong growth potential and make them market leaders.

“We are excited to have Myron on our platform as we continue to strategically acquire businesses in the promotional products industry,” Feuer said at the time of the Myron acquisition.

A Foreign Presence

Schneider is a distributor based out of Hamburg, Germany that has been operating for more than five decades. Along with promotional products, it is a business-to-consumer retailer of home and office furnishing and decoration.

“As with Myron/Adler, we recognize a strong growth potential at Schneider and the opportunity to better serve our customers in Europe,” says Feuer.

  • The products and services of each company will be integrated into both Myron and Schneider.

Feuer claims that there are plans for more strategic acquisitions for the Myron umbrella.

“Jeff and I are very excited about the opportunities to find companies with great people, great history and strong growth potential where we can unlock under-leveraged value for all stakeholders: customers, associates, partner suppliers and shareholders,” says Feuer.

Promo’s Global Connections

The promotional merchandise industry has witnessed several significant transatlantic acquisitions in recent years.

In July 2021, Vantage Apparel acquired Polish corporate apparel supplier Lynka.