PE-Backed KNS International Acquires Footwear Brand Birdies

Retail
Written By Rick Watson

Birdies launched in 2015 as a direct-to-consumer brand, creating an entirely new category of footwear.

KNS is a market-leading e-commerce and drop-ship footwear company serving North America. Powered by a state-of-the-art digital platform, KNS delivers seamless retail transformation for their partners while offering consumers an unmatched selection of styles and sizes.

Footwear brand holding company KNS International, backed by private equity fund Centre Partners, has acquired direct-to-customer footwear brand Birdie for an undisclosed amount. Bianca Gates, co-founder of Birdies, will become a brand president at KNS. The acquisition provides Birdies with the resources to scale, such as distribution and supply chain efficiency, while KNS adds a well-known DTC footwear brand with a loyal customer base. It is important to note that this is part of a larger trend in which footwear brands are acquisition targets.

Retail Dive: KNS International acquires Birdies

Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
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