Dometic’s buying spree continues unabated: After Valterra in April and Enerdrive in May, the Swedish brand headquartered in Stockholm has now reached an agreement to acquire Front Runner Vehicle Outfitters, a provider of roof racks, cargo carriers, storage solutions and off-road accessories from South Africa that is particularly popular with owners of overlanders and expedition vehicles.
Front Runner serves the U.S., European, Australian and South African markets through its own regional offices. Products are sold through its own DTC channels and approximately 1,000 dealers. Net sales in the last fiscal year were approx. $35 million with a good operating margin. The company is privately owned and employs 320 full-time workers at its manufacturing facility near Johannesburg.
Dometic appears poised to become indispensable in the trendy and growing vehicle-based outdoor market. Front Runner Vehicle Outfitters complements Dometic’s existing outdoor offerings with tents, coolers, mobile power solutions and other products for RVs and other vehicles. Dometic, one of the newest Scandinavian Outdoor Group (SOG) members, currently employs about 6,500 people worldwide and operates in about 100 countries in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.
The transaction price was not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.
