Lewiston promotional products distributor acquires German company

File photo / Tim Greenway Jo-an Lantz, president and CEO of Lewiston-based promotional products company Geiger, with Chairman Gene Geiger, center, and Vice Chairman Peter Geiger.

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By Renee Cordes

Geiger, a Lewiston-based promotional products distributor, has acquired German peer WER GmbH in a deal that will add 100 employees to the Maine company.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

WER, based in Senden in North Rhine-Westphalia, operates six offices and several warehouses across Germany, including in major cities such as Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt.

For Geiger, already the world’s largest privately held and family-owned promotional products distributor, the move comes nearly three years after the company opened a sales office in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Geiger has also made five acquisitions in the United Kingdom, and now employs over 575 people worldwide, including 200 based in Maine.

“Geiger is continuing our strategic path forward in servicing global clients,” said Jo-an Lantz, the company’s president and CEO, highlighting WER’s commitment to service, quality and environmental, social and governance standards.

“By leveraging the strengths and resources of both organizations, we will deliver even greater value and innovative solutions to the market,” she added.

This WER purchase is Geiger's third acquisition this year, after 02 Marketing + Design, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., and New York-based Broadway Marketing. Geiger's most recent acquisition abroad was U.K.-based Firebrand Promotions, in 2023.

Geiger said the integration process for its German acquisition will begin immediately, with the German company rebranding as WER GmbH, a Geiger Company.

Buying rationale

In Tuesday’s announcement, Geiger cited WER’s alignment with Geiger's comprehensive service offerings, including kitting, company stores, international distribution, custom products, in house decoration and warehousing. That will further enhance the range of services available to the newly combined customer base, Geiger said.

“We have known Geiger as a global leader for many years and they have proven themselves to operate with honesty and integrity and share the same values and culture as WER.” said Alex Heinecke, the German company’s CEO, who will lead Geiger’s new German division. “These qualities are vital to working in our marketplace and within our customer base.”

Vicky Kinasz, vice president and managing director of Geiger International, said, “The synergy between our organizations will create new opportunities for innovation and growth, further benefiting our many international clients."

Geiger, whose roots go back to 1878 in Newark, N.J., is represented by more than 450 independent sales agents. Lantz, who worked her way up from an entry-level bookkeeping job after college to her current role, became president in June 2018 and CEO in early 2019. She is the first non-family member to hold those roles.

The company signaled that further acquisitions may be on the horizon.

"We continue to explore opportunities for expansion globally to meet the needs of our expanding customer base," a spokeswoman for Geiger told Mainebiz.

"As our clientele becomes increasingly global, it is crucial for us to cater to diverse cultural preferences and optimize distribution channels accordingly."