International. Biamp acquired the North American company Community Loudspeakers and the Belgian Company Apart Audio, in order to further expand its portfolio. These acquisitions are in addition to recent acquisitions by Biamp.
Founded in 1968 by speaker design pioneer Bruce Howze, Community Loudspeakers has a long history of firsts in speaker design. Today, Community Loudspeakers is a well-established and respected manufacturer with a wide range of high-quality speakers intended for demanding indoor and outdoor applications, such as commercial, leisure, stadiums and other large spaces.
For its part, Apart Audio is a strong competitor in functional, commercial and leisure audio solutions for small and medium-sized venues, including retail stores, food services, education and small offices. It offers a wide range of speakers as well as amplifiers, mixers, controllers and localization stations that make Apart Audio a single-vendor solution for these markets. It also has a well-established business in Europe and has just entered North America in 2018, a market in which Biamp's extensive distribution system can provide an immediate boost.
Rashid Skaf, President, CEO and Co-President of Biamp commented, "I am tremendously excited to complete this transaction. Creating a wide range of speakers has been a priority of mine as we move to position Biamp as a full-line provider of professional audiovisuals. The acquisition of Apart Audio and Community Loudspeakers was my preferred route to achieving that quickly with incredibly strong and respected brands. The many products that are added to our portfolio provide us with powerful positions in several key growth markets for Biamp, especially shops, hotels, restaurants, stadiums and outdoor venues. With this move, Biamp has clearly established itself as a leader in the pro AV market."
Community Loudspeakers and Apart Audio will join Biamp as product families within the company's portfolio, and business functions will gradually merge to form a single Biamp business.
