Aug 10, 2016

Struggle for balance between e-commerce and retail stores drives deals for Hanna Andersson, Jet.com and Ashley Stewart Tweet Hockey and lacrosse equipment retailer TSG Enterprises LLC has scooped up Total Hockey Inc. and its 22 retail stores and three e-commerce websites. TSG Enterprises, the self-described largest hockey and lacrosse retailer in the U.S., now has 54 stores and seven e-commerce sites under the Pure Hockey, Hockey Giant, Pure Goalie, Commonwealth Lacrosse/ComLax and Total Hockey brands. The acquisition gives the retailer access to new markets Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Utah and Colorado, as well as strengthening its presence in its existing markets, says David Nectow, TSG president. St. Louis-based Total Hockey closed some of its retail stores before the sale to TSG, which is headquartered in Holliston, Massachusetts. TSG will keep Total Hockey’s management team and continue to maintain an office in St. Louis. While TSG’s online sales have been growing relative to its in-store sales over the years, the company have been able to “weather the storm” better than other retailers besieged by the consumer shift to online shopping, says Matt Rosenthal, TSG’s retail markets director. That’s partly because hockey equipment sales and fitting requires more in-store service than other types of retail business. The Total Hockey acquisition shows TSG’s commitment to an omni-channel retail approach, with a continuing emphasis on brick-and-mortar stores, Rosenthal says. Before the Total Hockey deal, TSG had stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, California and Wisconsin. Recent M&A involving retailers refocusing on e-commerce in the face of struggling brick-and–mortar store business have included L Catterton acquiring children’s apparel retailer Hanna Andersson LLC from Sun Capital Partners Inc.; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) agreeing to buy the Jet.com Inc. ecommerce business to compete with Amazon.com Inc.(Nasdaq: AMZN); and Invus Group LLC acquiring a majority stake in plus-size fashion retailer Ashley Stewart Inc. from Clearlake Capital Group and FirePine Group.