Emerald Holding Acquires Wholesale Market Bulletin

Emerald Holding, which owns wholesale market NY NOW, has acquired Bulletin, another wholesale market that connects more than 3,000 brands with over 26,000 retailers, according to a Wednesday (July 13) press release.

The acquisition will let wholesale buyers access a broader array of brands and makers through a fusion of in-person and eCommerce offerings, thus creating a platform for brands and retailers to connect and transact with each other around the clock, the release stated.

“We see a massive opportunity to combine the efficiencies of our leading digital platform with the pure magic of an iconic in-person event,” said Bulletin Co-Founder Alana Branston in the release. “During the pandemic, our industry lost a lot of its humanity despite the explosion of wholesale eCommerce and became very transaction-driven and impersonal. Because of this, it’s grown harder for brands and buyers to broker real, enduring relationships.”

The merger will also bring Bulletin’s industry expertise and base of brands and retailers to the NY NOW Gift and Home Show, creating a solution that helps small businesses and buyers alike, according to the release.

Bulletin’s entire staff — including Branston and Co-Founder Ali Kriegsman — will join NY NOW, the release stated. Branston will take on the expanded role of group vice president for Gift and Home, and Kriegsman will move into the role of vice president of strategy for Gift and Home, the release stated.

Last year, Emerald launched its Digital Market tech platform, designed to create a new standardized single-platform B2B eCommerce approach.

Read more: Emerald Debuts Streamlined B2B eCommerce Tech

The service, part of the company’s Elastic Suite division, offers year-round access to product sourcing and ordering across a variety of brands. It also provides what the company said is a more “streamlined and collaborative” approach for buyer and supplier experiences for in-person events, including Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo.