Bowling News
Breaking! Brunswick Bowling Products to Acquire Classic Products Corp
Key Takeaways – Brunswick Bowling Products plans to acquire Classic Products Corp., including assets and operations, transitioning to exclusive distribution of Brunswick’s product lines. Classic’s leadership will remain in place, and the acquisition aims to enhance product availability, streamline supply chains, and maintain service quality for bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers starting May 2025.
December 16, 2024
Brunswick Bowling Products is announcing the planned acquisition of the assets of Classic Products Corp. including warehouses, inventory, and general business operations and the transition to exclusive distribution of Brunswick’s Aftermarket and Consumer product lines while continuing to provide distribution for all current brands and products for the United States bowling market through Classic Bowling Products starting in May 2025.
We understand that this news could raise concerns among distributors, bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers, and we want to assure you that Brunswick Bowling Products remains committed to the bowling business and the sport of bowling. This planned acquisition provides the opportunity to improve product availability, enhance efficiency in the supply chain, and continue investing in customer support resources and the development of new products and technologies for bowling centers, pro shops, and bowlers.
Classic Products Corp. current owners Mike Eid, Shawn Spade, and Jimmy Land will remain in their present leadership roles and will maintain responsibility for the new “Classic Bowling Products” division for Brunswick Bowling Products.
Over the next 60 days, we will be developing sales, marketing, and operational plans to improve the overall efficiency of the distribution channel for bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers across the United States. This is a significant investment, and we look forward to continuing with the tradition of providing outstanding support and service for the bowling industry.
Kind Regards,
Corey Dykstra CEO
Brunswick Bowling Products
Frequently Asked Questions
After an extensive review of the US distribution model for bowling products, it was determined that changes were needed to improve product availability and overall efficiency in the supply chain for bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers across the United States. Initial discussions were centered around a direct sales model, but it was determined that the best option was to acquire an existing distributor to provide the smoothest, fastest, and best transition for the bowling industry. These strategic discussions resulted in an investigation into acquiring Classic Products Corp., the largest bowling products distributor in the world, and once it was confirmed that long-term business strategies to protect the bowling products supply chain were aligned, an agreement was reached.
Classic Products Corp. current owners Mike Eid, Shawn Spade, and Jimmy Land will lead the
outstanding team of Classic employees to drive continuous improvement for the bowling
products distribution business.
The plan is for Classic Bowling Products to remain an independent operation as a full-line bowling products distributor supporting bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers across the
United States with all the current brands and product lines.
Current Brunswick distributors may purchase Brunswick Aftermarket and Consumer product lines through April 30, 2025, and may continue to sell these products beyond this date as they liquidate inventory.
Classic’s four warehouse locations in Fort Wayne, IN, Largo, FL, Garland, TX, and Henderson, NV will remain with plans for a new headquarters warehouse and office in Fort Wayne. There are also plans for adding a warehouse location in the northeast region of the United States.
Brunswick Bowling Products will take ownership of Classic Products Corp. assets, and Classic Bowling Products will continue “business as usual” operations with no disruptions to product availability, service, and support.
Yes, Brunswick will be retaining Classic Products’ employees and investing in additional resources to continue providing the best possible service and support to bowling centers, pro shops, and retailers across the United States.
About Brunswick Bowling
It’s almost impossible to trace the rise of bowling without simultaneously documenting the rise of Brunswick. From the very beginning, bowling and Brunswick have shared the same path. Brunswick founder John Moses Brunswick played an integral part in the birth of the game by building a company dedicated to taking games like billiards and bowling out of fancy Victorian parlors and into the public arena. Moses Bensinger (married to Eleanora Brunswick, daughter of John Moses Brunswick) had a vision for the modern game of bowling. He standardized rules for the game and organized the first American Bowling Congress in 1895, which held the first significant bowling tournament in 1902. The ABC became a prominent fixture in competitive, professional bowling, and is responsible for developing the professional game and global appeal of the sport as it is known today.
Brunswick has contributed directly to the global growth of bowling by opening the first bowling center in Moscow in 1976. It has also established a technological and manufacturing presence that reaches around the globe – from its state-of-the-art research and development facilities in Muskegon, Michigan, to its pinsetter manufacturing plant in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, to its sales and support resources in Hong Kong, China
During the past century, Brunswick’s passion for the game has never wavered. Brunswick has always been dedicated to improving both the tenpin game and the experience around it. Brunswick has continually worked to grow bowling on a global scale and has helped to create the $10 billion industry that it is today.
About Classic Products Corp
Classic Products Corp. (Classic) was started in 1959 as Fort Wayne Bowling Supply (FWBS).
Since its inception the company has expanded through growth within its original regional presence. (the midwest as well as nationally through acquisition)
Classic was founded on and remains true to the goals of:
- Serving the industry with a well-trained, highly motivated, service-oriented team of employees.
- Passionately serving our two equally important customer bases: the pro shop retailer and bowling centers.
- Maintaining our sales and marketing focus on the reseller – we exist to support those who serve the bowler, not directly the bowler himself.
- We require a lot of our employees, but no amount of skills or work ethic is enough, we also expect each to hold a sincere respect and interest for the sport of bowling and its many wonderful participants and stakeholders. Our driving philosophy is that in order for us to survive and thrive we have to be committed to the success of each of our customers, one order at a time, one day at a time.
- The business of bowling continues to change and everyone at Classic shares the same goal to anticipate and respond to all such changes in time to achieve our goal of being the very best possible distributor to our pro shop and bowling center customers. To this end we are driven every day to help provide the products and services our customers need to meet their goals.
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