Navarre Corporation

Navarre Corp. was an American public distribution and publishing company founded in 1983 by Eric H. Paulson. The company was headquartered in New Hope, Minnesota. Navarre owned two subsidiary companies: a software publisher, Encore, Inc., and a distributor, Navarre Entertainment Media. The company formerly offered niche films through BCI Home Entertainment a.k.a. BCI Eclipse Company (formerly Brentwood), but this division was closed in a 2013 re-structuring due to the recession, after 2 years of being unprofitable.

Navarre Corporation
TypePrivate
IndustryMusic and film distribution and publishing
FateShut down. Assets acquired by WYNIT Distribution llc. Relaunched as Navarre Distribution in 2016
Founded1983 (1983)
FounderEric H. Paulson
Defunct2013 (2013)
Headquarters
Greenville, SC, New York, NY
,
OwnerGeof Lewis and Peter Richichi
Number of employees
648
DivisionsNavarre Distribution
SubsidiariesEncore, Inc.
BCI

In June 2005, Navarre determined that its financial statements for 2004, and the first and third quarter of 2005, should be restated, because expenses related to the incentive-based deferred compensation of the company's CEO was recorded in the wrong quarter.[1] In 2016, Navarre Distribution relaunched to provide audio and film distribution to labels and artist globally.

Acquisition and sale of Funimation Entertainment

In May 2005, Navarre acquired Funimation Productions (now jointly owned by Sony Pictures Television and Aniplex).[2] After the sale, Funimation Productions changed its name to Funimation Entertainment. Then, in April 2011, Navarre sold Funimation to a group of investors including Funimation co-founder Gen Fukunaga.[3]

Merger with SpeedFC and name change to Speed Commerce

On September 28, 2008, Dallas-based SpeedFC agreed to merge with Navarre for $50 million in cash and stock. The merger closed in 2013; the company changed their name from Navarre Corporation to Speed Commerce afterward.

On July 9, 2014, Syracuse, NY based Wynit Distribution LLC acquired the majority of the assets of Navarre Distribution Services and Encore from Speed Commerce. Since then, the Navarre name has been retired.

References

  1. "Navarre Corporation Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2005". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18.
  2. "Navarre Corporation Acquires [Funimation], and Provides Financial Update and Guidance" (Press release). Navarre Corporation. 2005-05-11. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  3. "Navarre Corporation Announces Sale Of FUNimation Entertainment". GLOBE NEWSWIRE. 2011-04-04. Archived from the original on 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2011-04-04.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.