• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 13, 2021

Minneapolis-based commerce agency The Stable has acquired two specialist shops—BVA and Zehner. The agencies are known for their direct-to-consumer work and Shopify design and implementation expertise. 

Founded in 2013 BVA has developed direct-to-consumer storefronts in the Shopify ecosystem for brands such as Avocado Mattress, Black Rifle Coffee, Red Bull, Untuckit, and others. 

Zehner is a Los Angeles-based full-service digital commerce agency that was founded in 2007. The agency has helped bring brands like Johnson & Johnson, Boll & Branch, Rhone, Outerknown, Stamps.com, and Soylent to the Shopify platform. 

The Stable, whose client roster includes quip, Ring, and Cora has grown from a retail-services firm to an agency also offering media, brand development and analytics and insights services. In 2020, The Stable acquired retail agency Kreative, e-commerce tech company RichContext, and sales and marketing firm Jacobs. It recently announced the acquisition of Walmart consulting agency The Retail Firm. 

BVA’s CEO Travis Hess will lead a newly formed D2C team at The Stable and will oversee client strategy, creative, digital experience design and implementation, digital marketing and media. Zehner’s COO Michael Kucera will work closely with Hess overseeing D2C operations and delivery. 

Matthew Zehner will be appointed as Global Head of Strategic Partnerships focused on private equity and venture capital relationships. 

The Stable will now employ more than 500 people with offices in Minneapolis, Bentonville, Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and virtually across the U.S.