MILFORD, N.H. – Last week, New Hampshire-based Yankee Toy Box was acquired by Society Brands, an e-commerce company based out of Ohio.
Founded by Bedford residents Lisa and Kermit Zerr over a decade ago, the company sells licensed apparel and other items directly to consumers as well as through internet commerce avenues such as Amazon.
While the company has grown 35 percent over the past three years, both sides in the deal felt that the acquisition will be beneficial, with the Zerrs staying on in a leadership role.
“We are thrilled to welcome Yankee Toy Box into the Society Brands portfolio and have Lisa stay on board as Brand President to lead its growth with the support of our full shared services ecosystem,” said Michael Sirpilla, CEO of Society Brands. “While going through our due diligence on Yankee Toy Box, we have been able to watch the business and owners continue to grow the company despite facing challenges. We see strong growth potential in the company and its co-founders bring amazing management experience that will be an asset to the diverse ‘society’ of entrepreneurs we are building.”
“We chose Society Brands to acquire Yankee Toy Box because we wanted to partner with a like-minded company,” said Lisa Zerr, Co-Founder and Brand President of Yankee Toy Box. “With Society Brands being a product-centric aggregator, they recognize the importance of relationships, both internal and outside our community. With this partnership, we are looking forward to taking the Yankee Toy Box brand to a level we always dreamed was possible.”
Yankee Toy Box marks the sixth company brought under the Society Brands umbrella since its initial institutional capital raise of $205 million in March of this year.
