Bekins Subsidiary Homedirectusa Acquires Gilbert Home Delivery Corporation

Furniture World Magazine

HomeDirectUSA, a subsidiary of The Bekins Company and the nation’s premier provider of advanced delivery services for large consumer durables, has finalized the acquisition of the assets of Michigan-based Gilbert Home Delivery Corporation. The acquisition includes approximately 45 nationwide contracts with leading manufacturers and distributors of furniture, home electronics and other large consumer durables, increasing HomeDirectUSA’s contract base to approximately 365. Founded four years ago, Gilbert Home Delivery provided a leading-edge array of services comparable to those of HomeDirectUSA, including nationwide scheduled pickup and delivery, in-home product assembly and advanced Internet-based shipment tracking. The company’s key contracts include Costco, Restoration Hardware, Eddie Bauer, SpringAir, and Sundance Catalog. “The success that Gilbert Home Delivery has realized over just four years, the operational synergies between our two companies and other key factors all indicated that this acquisition would be a logical step toward our goals for long-term growth,” said Brian Gallagher, vice president and general manager of HomeDirectUSA. “We anticipate that the integration of our two operations will be a rapid process that will quickly increase our market presence.” Richard Gilbert, chief executive officer of Gilbert Home Delivery Corporation, added that the underlying philosophies of the two companies were critical to the success of the transaction. “From the beginning we shared a common vision that the home delivery segment of the industry was primed for dramatic growth and that the keys to that growth would include dedication to superior customer service and utilization of emerging technologies,” he said. “HomeDirectUSA is clearly at the forefront of our industry and is uniquely poised to direct its future.” Founded in 1994 as a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bekins Company, HomeDirectUSA fulfills the expectations of retailers and customers with the most experienced, most expansive network home delivery service available. The company’s services range from scheduled white-glove delivery and set-up to comprehensive handling of returns and direct order fulfillment. The company expects to complete the incorporation of all Gilbert Home Delivery operations with the next two months. About HomeDirectUSA: HomeDirectUSA, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bekins Company, is one of the country’s premier providers of advanced delivery services for large consumer durables. The company operates from 61 distribution centers, 4 crossdock operations and a fleet of more than 500 53-foot Air Ride tractor trailer units. Headquartered in Hillside, Ill. HomeDirectUSA, through its parent The Bekins Company, is an ISO-9002 registered company. More information on HomeDirectUSA can be found on the company website: www.homedirectusa.com.