BROOKLYN, N.Y. —
.CE distributor Z.
Reiss & Associates has purchased fellow
distributor M. Rothman & Co. The
terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Z. Reiss will operate the new entity,
M. Rothman Group, as a wholly owned
subsidiary of the newly formed Z. Rothman
Inc.
“We are excited for this new opportunity
for the Rothman brand and
legacy to continue and to work with the
people over at Z. Reiss & Associates,”
said M. Rothman & Co. principal Douglas
Rothman. “We were impressed by
their knowledge of the industry, their
values and commitment,” added brother
William Rothman.
M. Rothman Group CEO Zalmen
Reiss added, “By leveraging our prior
experience in the electronics industry,
from our successes with Z. Reiss &
Associates and with the purchase of M. Rothman’s assets, we will have the
opportunity to increase our consumer
base and distribution while continuing
the legacy and values which have been
established.”
Rothman principal Russell Rothman
said the three Rothman brothers “are
planning to continue on with the new
wholly owned subsidiary, in capacities
to be determined.”
Z. Reiss & Associates distributes CE,
computers and accessories, digital imaging
and home phone systems from
brands including Sony, Toshiba, AT&T,
Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Impecca,
Panasonic, Sunbeam, Sharp, Sony and
RCA, among others.
M. Rothman & Co. has been a distributor
of CE, majaps, housewares and
mobile electronics, serving brick-andmortar
and e-commerce accounts with
products and fulfillment services since
it was founded in 1950 by the brothers’
parents Martin and Florence Rothman.
M. Rothman’s brand roster includes:
Apex, Audiovox, AT&T, Daewoo, Dtexx,
Elite, Homita USA, JVC, JWin, Key Digital,
Maglite, Memorex, Mustek, Olympia,
OmniMount, Optoma, Panasonic
Mobile Electronics, Pinnacle, Pioneer,
Sharp, Sima/First Alert, Soleus, Terk,
Toshiba, Universal Remote Control and
VTech.
In 2010, M. Rothman helped found
PowerHouse Alliance national distributor
buying cooperative. Due to the sale
of the company under the group’s bylaws,
M. Rothman is no longer a member,
but it attended the group’s recent
meeting in Chicago for interviews to rejoin
the group.
According to PowerHouse’s executive
director Dennis Holzer, a decision
on M. Rothman possible return to PowerHouse
will be made soon.
– Additional
reporting by Steve Smith
