Advantage Solutions
Advantage Solutions Inc. is an American outsourced sales and marketing company known for its work with consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. It was founded in California in 1987 and is currently headquartered in Missouri.In October 2020, it went public via a merger with SPAC Conyers Park II Acquisition Corp.
History
Founding and Expansion
Advantage Solutions was founded in 1987 by Sonny King in Irvine, California, under the name Advantage Sales & Marketing, and initially focused on marketing and outsourced sales for consumer packaged goods manufacturers. Over the following decades, the company expanded through a mix of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, including more than 50 M&A transactions since 2014.In 2014, private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners acquired Advantage Sales & Marketing, the parent company of Advantage Solutions, from Apax Partners.
Merger with Daymon Worldwide (2017-present)
On November 14, 2017, Advantage Solutions agreed to acquire Daymon Worldwide, a Stamford-based private-label brand development and retail services firm, from Bain Capital and Yonghui Superstores.The combined company ended up with operations in 45 countries.In October 2020, Advantage Solutions became a publicly traded company through a merger with the special-purpose acquisition company Conyers Park II Acquisition Corp,.It started trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker “ADV” starting October 29, 2020.
As of 2023, Advantage Solutions was listed on the Fortune 1000 and reported having over 70,000 employees worldwide.
In February 2023, Dave Peacock was appointed the new CEO, replacing Jill Griffin.
In early 2024, Advantage Solutions relocated its corporate headquarters from Irvine, California, to Clayton, Missouri.
In June 2024, Advantage Solutions announced the sale of digital advertising platform Jun Group to Sweden-based Verve Group SE for $185 million. The transaction completed in July 2024.
Advantage Solutions merged two of its subsidiaries, Amp Agency and Advantage United Commerce, to form AMP in 2025.In the same year, Advantage Solutions partnered with Instacart to provide real-time shelf data for consumer packaged goods companies.