Durham athletic accessory firm Implus makes ninth acquisition in three years

DURHAM — Implus, an athletic brand company, has acquired RockTape, a provider of athletic tape, for an undisclosed amount.

The Durham-based company provides athletic, fitness and outdoor accessory products. The company distributes to over 75,000 retail outlets in North America and in 70 countries.

By acquiring RockTape, Implus plans to use RockTapes’ kinesiology tape as an additive to Implus’ established wellness brand. RockTapes’s current office in Campbell, California, will be maintained to support expansion of the products.

Implus

“We’re excited to be partnering with the RockTape team and think the brand has massive room for growth within our current distribution network,” said Implus CEO Seth Richards. “In addition, the existing team’s experience in the Clinical channel should provide tangible benefits for a number of our other brands.”

RockTape will work under Implus’ umbrella of brands, which include FuelBelt, Harbinger, Sof Sole, Airplus and more. RockTape is the ninth acquisition for Implus following Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm’s, 2015 investment, making it the 20th acquisition over all.

“My team and partners at RockTape built an awesome business by providing great product and relevant education with the key focus of making people’s lives better,” said Greg van den Dries, CEO of RockTape in the press release. “I think Implus is the perfect partner to build on those core values.”

This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism