Denver-based Merchants, a nationally recognized furniture dealership, today announced its acquisition of Best-in-Class Haworth dealership Pear Workplace Solutions, enhancing the combined company’s capabilities in the Colorado market and strengthening its portfolio across furniture, architectural walls and client services. As part of the transition, Pear and Merchants will adopt Merchants & Co as the new company name.
The move will make Merchants the only Haworth Preferred dealer, AIS Elite dealer and Modernus dealer in the State. Haworth, which offers award-winning furniture, interior architecture and technology solutions, generates billions of dollars in revenue annually and offers leading product portfolios for office (furniture and architectural walls), government, hospitality and amenity, healthcare and outdoor spaces. Merchants’ acquisition provides the combined company with an enhanced furniture portfolio, an important advantage at a time of significant market consolidation in the commercial furnishings industry.
“John and Della Robbins and their fantastic team have a best-in-class history of customer and community service. Haworth has enjoyed and valued our lengthy relationship with Pear,” said Jack Cottrell, Haworth’s vice president of Channel and Dealer Development. “We are excited about their decision to join Merchants, a Denver business institution, and know this will bring an enormous amount of combined energy and passion. Haworth welcomes the Merchants team to the family. Together with John and Della, this transition will be a total success for everyone involved.”
Merchants and Pear, both longstanding Colorado dealerships with deep roots and strong reputations, have provided workplace furnishing solutions for diverse clients across industries, including education, energy, financial services, government, healthcare, hospitality, technology and more. With millions of square feet in combined projects across the U.S., the firms have supported the furniture and design needs of companies such as AEG, British Petroleum, Checkr, DaVita, Denver Water, GoSpotCheck, Lockton, Lockheed Martin, Clear Choice Dental, RE/MAX, Xcel Energy and Zayo Group.
“For years, we’ve contemplated aligning ourselves with a major manufacturer, and Haworth was at the top of our list,” said Brooke Wolf, principal at Merchants. “Like us, Haworth is a third-generation family-owned business. Their manufacturing capabilities and overall design philosophy aligns well with our own design sensibility, our client’s needs, and the opportunities we see for growth in our industry. The Merchants and Pear team together will build on the hands-on, innovative spirit that has become part of our DNA to become an even better partner to our clients and friends.”
Founded in Boulder in 1984, Pear provides office furniture and design services, executing important, collaborative and curated office furniture projects up and down the front range of Colorado. Pear prioritizes collaborative and comfortable spaces that provide inviting cues on where and how to work.
Merchants — a third-generation family business and the longest-established commercial furniture company in Colorado — designs dynamic, transformative spaces that inspire people. The company offers products from well-known brands, including OFS, Allermuir, Global, Fellows, Humanscale, Andreu World, West Elm Work and Source International, among others.
“By joining forces with Merchants, Pear embarks on an exciting new chapter, uniting the two companies’ design chops and commitment to client service. Having been stewards of the Pear brand for more than two decades, it was vital for us that our organizations were complementary, in both services and culture, and we found that in Merchants,” added John Robbins, president and CEO of Pear. “We are so excited for our combined teams to come together to deliver the optimal workplace experience.”
Pear is the only Haworth Best-in-Class dealer in Colorado, having long represented the company’s portfolio of products. The combined company will continue to represent Haworth and the Haworth portfolio of brands plus a wider variety of furniture lines, including OFS, Senator, Allermuir, Andreu World and many more.
From initial engagement through installation, this acquisition grows the Merchants team to 60 seasoned designers, project managers, account managers, in-house installers, field experts and more. Under the combined structure, Merchants’ Brooke Wolf, Zack Sanders, Jynx Messacar and Lexi McCann will continue to serve as principals, and John and Della Robbins will consult through the transition on strategy and integration as well as continue to assist with business development.
