NEW YORK – Emerald Holding, Inc., which owns and operates NY NOW, a wholesale marketplace for retail that brings together brands, buyers and creators, announced this week the acquisition of Bulletin Inc., a wholesale marketplace connecting more than 3,000 independent brands with more than 26,000 retailers.
Bulletin’s marketplace focuses on innovative brands, including Piecework Puzzles, Apotheke, Golde, Kitsch, and Brightland, and supports fulfillment for online-only retailers like Fast AF and social shopping app Flip. Bulletin also supports a range of brick-and-mortar stores, including Prelude & Dawn, Onatah General Store, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and Friends NYC, among others.
“The acquisition of Bulletin signifies another transformational step in the evolution of the NY NOW brand and underscores Emerald’s commitment to executing on our strategic initiatives,” said Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s Chairman and CEO.
All Bulletin employees will join Emerald as part of the acquisition, including co-founders Alana Branston and Ali Kriegsman. Branston will serve as Group Vice President, Gifts & Home, while Kriegsman will serve as Vice President, Strategy, Gifts & Home.
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“We developed a strong interest in Bulletin after meeting Alana and Ali, whose shared philosophy of supporting and empowering independent brands and creators aligns perfectly with NY NOW’s brand mission,” said Sedky. “The merger of Bulletin with NY NOW will allow us to advance both businesses and provide more solutions, resources and value to our collective community of customers through the union of in-person events and e-commerce offerings.”
The acquisition of Bulletin will not only provide wholesale buyers with the opportunity to discover innovative brands and manufacturers with a mix of in-person and e-commerce options, but it will also introduce Bulletin’s brand and retail clientele to the NY NOW Gift and Home Show.
“The combination of Bulletin and NY NOW not only gives us a dynamic platform that delivers discovery and engagement year-round, but Alana, Ali and the Bulletin team’s thought leadership, forward-thinking perspectives and vast network of creators, designers, influencers and media outlets will serve as new avenues for expression and creativity,” said Karalynn Sprouse, Emerald’s Executive Vice President. “Additionally, this union reaffirms our unwavering commitment to NY NOW, especially as we approach our 100th anniversary as the preeminent resource for the gift and home industry.”
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Bulletin CEO and co-founder Branston is also optimistic about the merger with NY NOW.
“We see a huge opportunity to combine the power of our industry-leading digital platform with the pure magic of an iconic in-person event,” said Branston. “During the pandemic, our industry lost much of its humanity despite the explosion of wholesale e-commerce and became very transaction-driven and impersonal. Because of this, it became harder for brands and buyers to build real, lasting relationships. So we’re excited to reimagine and retool the format, programming and positioning of NY NOW to ensure an in-person show that puts those relationships front and center, backed by transactions.”
For more information about attending the upcoming Summer Market, August 14-17, 2022 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, please email: Amy Hornsby at NY NOW: Amy.Hornsby@emeraldx.com or Rachel Krug at Bulletin Rachel@bulletin.co
Contact Hervé Sedky at herve.sedky@emeraldx.com; Karalynn Sprouse at (323) 817 2244 or karalynn.sprouse@emeraldx.com