Branded and Heyday join forces to form Essor for $400 million

Branded acquired Heyday to form Essor, a digitally native CPG platform with $400 million in annual revenue and over 1 billion social views.

Essor features “significant and growing profitability” and includes brands such as Boka, Puacy, ZitSticka, FreshCap, OTOTO Design, Viking Revolution and Iron Flask.

Essor will be led by Branded co-founder and CEO Pierre Poignant, who will serve as CEO of the new company.

Heyday co-founder and CEO Sebastian Rymarz will serve as president.
Branded co-founder and chairman Ben Kaminski will serve as chairman.
The company has secured new equity investment and credit financing to support Essor’s growth strategy, which includes organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

"Essor means 'to fly' in French, and perfectly embodies our vision to elevate brands to new heights and propel them into a future of limitless possibilities," said Poignant. "This acquisition is a significant milestone in our journey to become a leading digital-first CPG company. By combining our resources and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to take brands to new heights and deliver unparalleled value to our customers and stakeholders."

"Joining forces with Branded strengthens our platform and, more importantly, our balance sheet, positioning us well to capitalize on the accelerating digitally native brand acquisition opportunities," said Rymarz.

"We are excited to combine the strengths of Branded and Heyday," said Kaminski. "The combination of Heyday's technology and retail channel expansion capabilities with Branded's proven operational excellence, new product development, and global expansion strategy will provide a solid competitive advantage, allowing us to create more value for brands."