To beef up its Science Education portfolio VWR Education has acquired X-treme Geek. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
X-treme Geek sells high-tech gadgets, unique novelties, and fun science-related gifts through its Website and print catalog. According to a company release, X-treme Geek supplements VWR Education’s product mix from the Edmund Scientific brand.
Like Edmund Scientific, X-treme Geek provides VWR with an additional opportunity to sell directly to consumers, as opposed to selling through academic institutions. The acquisition of X-treme Geek, the release says, “adds a favorable, new demographic to VWR Education’s current market, as X-treme Geek’s largest consumer segment is comprised of intellectually curious teens and young adults.”
Indeed, says Lee Helman, managing director with New York-based investment for Financo, the deal “looks like a strategic acquisition for product line and customer extension off core business.”
VWR Education’s brands include Ward’s Natural Science, Sargent-Welch, Science Kit, Edmund Scientific, ScholAR Chemistry, CENCO Physics, and X-treme Geek. Its parent company, VRW International, ranked 12th on the 2009 MCM 100 list. VRW International’s direct sales in 2008 topped $3.75 billion.