Houlihan Lokey Advises Duke Cannon Supply Co.

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Duke Cannon Supply Co., a fast-growing men’s grooming company, has received a strategic growth investment from Main Post Partners, a leading private equity investment firm with deep experience partnering with high-growth consumer brands.

Founded in 2011 by Anthony Albanese and Sam Swartz and led by CEO Ryan O’Connell, Duke Cannon provides hard-working men with high-quality, premium grooming goods at accessible prices. From its News Anchor Hair Line to THICK Body Wash to Grunt Foot Powder, the company offers a full regimen of innovative, award-winning products that help a man groom well from head to toe. Born as a DTC business, Duke Cannon quickly gained footing in independent and specialty retailers, such as Carhartt, Duluth Trading Co., and Ace Hardware, with recent expansion into more than 30,000 of the nation’s leading food, drug, and mass retailers, such as Target, H-E-B, Hy-Vee, CVS, and Walgreens. Rooted in military history, the brand continues to gain inspiration from active-duty soldiers and donates a portion of its profits to causes that benefit veterans.

Main Post Partners is a private equity investment firm focused on investing in proven growth companies across the consumer value chain. Main Post Partners invests in both majority and minority positions, primarily in first institutional capital situations where founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams are looking for an experienced partner to help build their companies to full potential. With a "Partnership, not Ownership" approach, Main Post Partners works closely with a network of successful executives to provide operational and strategic support to its management partners. Main Post Partners was named to Inc.'s list of The 50 Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Duke Cannon and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on its behalf. The transaction strengthens the firm's track record of working with the most innovative and disruptive brands in the beauty and personal care industry, including the recent sale of Thinkbaby to Topix and PCA Skin to Colgate.