A Changing Landscape

Key Takeaways:
• Unprecedented industry consolidation has transformed the commercial cleaning market.
• The rise of mega-distributors has redefined supply chains, culminating in historic partnerships like the BradyPLUS and Imperial Dade merger.
• Jan/san distributors and manufacturers must adapt quickly to this consolidated environment to remain competitive, optimize logistics, and maintain strong regional facility maintenance networks.

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When I first started working in the jan/san industry in 2005, acquisition news was pretty slow. I came in on the heels of the 1999 Unisource/BAIN Capital procurement trend, which I'm told marked the peak of significant consolidation. The years that followed were relatively quiet, except several prominent independent distributors emerged. Aside from my first reported distributor merger—Interline Brands and AmSan in May 2006—I was building relationships with newly independent and eager distributors looking to make their mark on this industry.

Fueled by the “Great Recession,” the acquisition trend started picking up again in late 2008. Over the next several years, momentum was so strong that, in 2015, Triple S Holdings announced a distributor acquisition program to help members either exit the business or grow through acquisition.

But that steady stream of acquisitions was nothing compared to what was to come in 2017 when Imperial Bag & Paper completed the acquisition of Dade Paper, along with nine other jan/san distributors. The move launched Imperial Dade, and the pace of consolidation accelerated to unseen levels.

Throughout the years that followed, Sanitary Maintenance reported mergers involving familiar jan/san distributors multiple times a month. Eventually, even the largest players converged—first in 2023, when BradyIFS and Envoy Solutions joined forces, and then in 2025, when the newly renamed BradyPLUS and Imperial Dade merged.

The industry landscape is certainly different today than when I started. As outlined in our cover story (page 18), the rapid reshaping of jan/san distribution has left many wondering where they fit. And consolidation isn't the only force driving that change. As the article points out, the traditional boundaries of jan/san are disappearing as the industry increasingly converges with packaging, MRO, and digital procurement.

That said, the industry has gone through this kind of change before. If history repeats itself, we may see a resurgence of independent distributors over the next several years—before the acquisition cycle begins again.

It will be similar, but different, and distributors will adjust. As they say, “the only constant is change,” but it will be interesting to see where jan/san distribution goes next. One thing that is guaranteed is that Sanitary Maintenance will be here to cover it all.

Corinne Zudonyi has been in the commercial cleaning industry for over 20 years and is proud to serve as Editor-In-Chief of Contracting Profits (the official publication of BSCAI), Facility Cleaning Decisions, and Sanitary Maintenance (the North American media partner of Interclean Amsterdam) magazines, publications that serve the professional cleaning industry. Additionally, Corinne manages CleanLink.com, the leading digital resource for the commercial cleaning industry, and she uses her industry knowledge to steer educational topics for Clean Buildings at NFMT East.
Corinne is the sole U.S. representative to serve on the international Interclean Amsterdam Innovation Jury, where she weighs in on product trends impacting commercial cleaning on a global scale. She also works closely with Healthy Green Schools & Colleges to advance healthy and sustainable cleaning in educational facilities. As a member of the CLEAN Awards Jury, through the Building Service Contractors Association International, Corinne also helps recognize cleaning contractors and their companies for outstanding service to the industry.
Corinne can commonly be found moderating industry panel discussions, presenting education, and focusing on bringing awareness and affirmation for the wonderful work that people do to keep facilities clean and building occupants safe and healthy.
Follow Corinne on LinkedIn here.