Five years ago, the idea of a billion-dollar distributor seemed far-fetched. COVID-19 will likely prevent that possibility from occurring in 2020, but perhaps it is simply delaying the inevitable. While economic recovery may come slowly, the largest distributors in the industry have been increasingly grabbing market share – and the trend might continue as weakened firms become prime acquisition targets. With four distributors at $500 million and over in revenue in 2019, the idea of a billion-dollar distributor is not a matter of if, but when.

Based on 2019 sales, there was shuffling at the top and bottom in this year’s Top 40 distributor list. Proforma (asi/300094) moved into the top five after banking over $122 million in additional revenue, while HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000) jumped into the number two spot after a series of high-profile acquisitions. One of those acquisitions is responsible for one of three departures from this year’s list – Axis Promotions, which HALO acquired in January.

The two other changes? A Brand Company, which entered a foreclosure sale and was sold in the summer of 2020, and MTM Recognition, which is no longer listed with ASI and therefore no longer eligible to participate. In their place are two distributors that are new to the list – Drive Marketing (asi/183590) and APISource (asi/147450) – as well as a previous member: Touchstone (asi/345631), which had last made the Top 40 in 2014.

Click on the links below to find facts and figures on each Top 40 company.

Note: All revenues represent North American sales.
e: estimate
eg: estimate w/guidance
NR: not ranked
N/A: not available

Two Decades of Top 40

How has the Top 40 evolved throughout this millennium? Check out our animated chart to witness the fall and rise of the industry’s biggest power players.