eCommerce retailer, Bulk Reef Supply, has acquired Marine Depot

TORX

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"GOLDEN VALLEY, MN., Aquatic Sales Solutions, LLC (dba Bulk Reef Supply) or “BRS”, the eCommerce leader in saltwater aquarium supplies has acquired California-based Marine Depot.
The Marine Depot website will continue to operate fully, including taking customer orders, until July 30, 2021. At which time, the site will be folded into BRS with all website traffic redirected to BRS (bulkreefsupply.com).
BRS is committed to ensuring Marine Depot customers are well supported during this transition. BRS will do so through the following initiatives:

Honoring all Marine Depot gift cards at Bulk Reef Supply

Transferring of loyalty reward points to a BRS account

Honoring the Marine Depot return policy for orders placed prior to June 23, 2021 (all sales on or after June 23, 2021, at Marinedepot.com are final)

Assisting with warranty support for qualifying orders.

Maintaining the Marine Depot long-standing blog & YouTube channel, popular among aquarists worldwide.

Keeping a strict focus on providing quality saltwater aquarium equipment.

Continuing to stock & support popular brands like AquaMaxx."

...more info in the complete article link posted above


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joshthebox

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BRS is dominating the online market, at least in the USA to my knowledge... I'll always try my best to support mom and pop shops.
 

Jason Bell

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I enjoy the few shops I go to, always try to purchase the products I want through them, sure did miss that over the past year
 

Salty Cracker

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you know what, BRS had pretty good prices, never had issues shipping things out (at least I never have), and seemed to care about the hobby. Sure it got a little expensive to get stuff over the border, but I never had a bad experience with them, and can't say the same for marine depot, so from my point of view...good for them.

I have no idea how the small shops stay in business... especially after coof. I mean if you didn't do etransactions, with everyone not allowed to go into storefronts, you were going to have a bad time. :(
 

Reefgrrl

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I feel like people are treating this like a big corporate acquisition when it’s a private company buying another private company. BRS as far as I know, IS exactly like a mom and pop shop except that they’re e-commerce only. Ryan has taken all the business risks over the years and worked his ass off, to reach this point. BRS has spent craploads of money putting together their educational and information resources, to the betterment of the hobby imo. Of course they focus on the stuff they sell - doing so gives people insight into what might work for them and after all, that’s their business. Their body of educational stuff on YT is extensive and it’s been expanding continually. Their website has many videos and written articles throughout.

And because someone will surely think I’m biased - no, I’m not sponsored, I’ve met these guys exactly once, at a Reefapalooza along with hundreds of other ppl.... I’ve never understood the practice of trying to tear down successful people/businesses via rumour and innuendo. They’re doing what successful businesses do - looking for opportunities.

I agree with Salty Cracker - any business without the ability to use e-commerce will have had real problems over the past 18 months. Now turn that around - where would we as hobbyists be if we didn’t have e-commerce available when we needed to get stuff to keep our tanks alive?
 

Salty Cracker

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Well said! It's a strange thing, that sometimes when a business gets successful, people get resentful to varying degrees. That said, sooner or later a company gets really big, owners are gone, and committees decide things regardless of what the customers want, until finally they fail because they ignored the principals that made them successful in the first place, but I don't think BRS are anywhere near that point now, nor is their product universally appealing, so probably they won't. I think it's more likely that they got tired of competing in the same market for the same customers, so bought/sold or did a joint venture so that they could be stronger together. That's my take on it anyway.
 

TORX

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MARINE DEPOT PSA: I would print off a copy marine depot purchases if you have any for any potential warranty issues before they take down the marine depot website

Not sure how they will handle it, but better to be safe!

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