Why This Matters to Distributors: The formation of Imperial Brady as a $10 billion JanSan, foodservice and industrial packaging platform is the latest evidence that distribution consolidation is producing competitors with national scale and local service depth simultaneously, a combination that narrows the traditional advantages of smaller regional operators.
Imperial Dade and BradyPLUS launched a unified corporate identity, rebranding the combined company as Imperial Brady two months after the two North American distributors completed their merger in March.
The combined company, which serves commercial and institutional customers across the United States and Canada with janitorial and sanitation supplies, foodservice products and industrial packaging, employs more than 13,000 people and generates approximately $10 billion in annual revenue.
Imperial Dade was founded in 1935 and, under the leadership of chairman Robert Tillis and chief executive officer Jason Tillis since 2007, grew through acquisitions to operate more than 125 distribution facilities across North America, according to the company.
BradyPLUS, headquartered in Las Vegas, distributed janitorial, sanitation, foodservice packaging, and facility maintenance supplies through a network of more than 180 locations across the United States, serving customers in foodservice, healthcare, education, and commercial facilities, according to BradyPLUS.
Bain Capital Private Equity, Kelso and Company, Advent International, Warburg Pincus, Fomento Económico Mexicano and the Tillis family are among the shareholders with board representation in the combined company, according to Imperial Dade.
The merger was announced in August 2025 and closed on March 12, with Jason Tillis appointed chief executive officer of the combined company. Ken Sweder, chairman and chief executive officer of BradyPLUS, joined the board of directors to support the leadership transition.
“This is an exciting moment for our company and our industry,” Tillis said. “Our new name brings together the strengths of both organizations and shows our commitment to serving our customers. We are focused on working as one team for our customers, employees and supplier partners.”
The Imperial Brady name is intended to reflect the family-owned heritage of both predecessor companies. The company said the new brand and logo will roll out across customer-facing touchpoints over the coming months, with both the ImperialDade.com and BradyPLUS.com web addresses remaining active during the transition.
The rebranding comes alongside a separate transaction involving Imperial Dade’s Canadian operations, which entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Enterprise Paper Holdings, a distributor of paper, packaging, and janitorial products with locations in British Columbia and Alberta. Enterprise Paper was founded in 1973. Financial terms of that transaction were not disclosed.
For wholesale distributors in adjacent markets, Imperial Brady’s emergence as a $10 billion platform in JanSan, foodservice and industrial packaging reflects how sustained acquisition activity and private equity backing can reshape the scale of competition in distribution sectors that were historically regional and fragmented.
The combined company said it will maintain a locally focused service model supported by national scale, expanded product assortment, and enhanced digital and operational capabilities.
How effectively Imperial Brady integrates more than 305 combined distribution points under a single brand while preserving the customer relationships that drove both companies’ growth will be the operational test of the merger’s value.
Do not miss any content from Distribution Strategy Group. Join our list.
Share this article:
