Bagno a Ripoli (Florence), September 8, 2023
Lorenzo Coppini, CEO of B&C Speakers commented: “This acquisition allows the B&C Group to strengthen its international presence, also offering the opportunity to relaunch and enhance an iconic American brand. By joining forces, we can exploit strong synergies, as happened with the acquisition of Eighteen Sound in 2018. We can offer our customers a broader range of world-class products and build them where they need them."
Eminence Speaker LLC has a workforce of about 90 employees and operates in the design and manufacture of electro-acoustic transducers for professional use as well as for the musical instruments (MI) market, alarm systems and car audio aftermarket. The company was established in 1966 by Bob Gault and, since the 1990s under the leadership of his son Robert, has established itself as an internationally recognized brand.
Retiring Chairman Rob Gault added, “We have known and respected B&C for around 30 years. When I decided it was time to retire leaving no family members at Eminence, B&C was my first choice as a buyer. It was always my family's goal to leave Eminence in good hands - hands that we were sure would protect the reputation of Eminence, along with its employees, suppliers, and customers long into the future. I'm sure there will be changes at some point, but for now, I expect business to continue more-or-less as usual with Eminence.
“Eminence customers and products are largely complementary to B&C’s current activities. This is a clear case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts." commented Ron Tizzard, CMO of B&C Speakers. “The B&C Group has enjoyed a significant surge in demand in recent years, especially since the end of the global pandemic. With the addition of Eminence to group, we are well positioned to be a more dynamic and cost appropriate supplier for our global customer base."
The integration of Eminence into the group will offer the availability of an additional brand, historically present and deeply rooted in the professional audio market in the United States. Especially in the musical instruments sector where B&C has not been particularly impactful. Eminence has two production facilities, located in Eminence, Kentucky and Dongguan, China. Both are geographical areas where B&C Speakers has been successfully operating commercially for many years.