Investment Bank Insights: Private Equity’s Role in M&A, Pt. 1

It’s shaping up to be another very active year in distributor mergers and acquisitions.

is far outpacing that of 2023, which far outpaced 2022. The robust volume of dealmaking activity has been amid anxiety across the entire industry that stems from high interest rates, uncertainty surrounding the U.S. general election, labor challenges and an overall sluggish industrial demand cycle that has persisted far longer into the year than anyone expected. Private equity has driven much of this M&A activity in wholesale distribution. Depending…