Hills Distribution has added ecommerce specialist PexUniverse in a deal that strengthens its digital reach across plumbing and HVAC parts.
The move plugs a ready-made ecommerce capability into Hills’ network: PexUniverse operates an online-first distribution model and offers roughly 8,000 SKUs from its distribution facility. Hills framed the transaction as a bet on the growing share of digital channels in plumbing and HVAC distribution—an area where manufacturers, resellers and contractors increasingly expect fast catalog access and reliable fulfillment.
What changed
Hills Distribution, the platform for independent plumbing, HVAC and hydronics distributors, has added PexUniverse to its portfolio. The deal does not disclose financial terms. PexUniverse joins Hills’ existing brands, including Plimpton & Hills, Coastal Supply Group, RJ Murray and Bender Plumbing Supply.
Two members of the current PexUniverse leadership will stay on: Mariya Pylypyuk will serve as PexUniverse’s general manager and continue to lead the business alongside the existing management team, while Vitaly Kharitonov will remain with the company in an unspecified role.
Why Hills made the move
Hills positioned the transaction as a capability and channel play rather than a simple inventory add. CEO Ron LaBusch said Hills wants to “deepen our presence in the ecommerce channel, which continues to gain momentum across our industry,” and described PexUniverse as having “a differentiated value proposition and moat.”
Chairman Jon Perry framed the acquisition similarly: PexUniverse brings “a broad product offering and an efficient digital model that complements our existing companies,” extending Hills’ participation in one of the fastest-growing channels within plumbing and HVAC distribution.
What it means for suppliers, resellers and contractors
For manufacturers and suppliers: expect distributors to place greater emphasis on online catalogue quality, SKU-level data, fulfillment guarantees and digital merchandising. Being visible in branch networks remains important, but visibility in digital catalogs and marketplaces is becoming a parallel requirement.
For resellers and contractors: the integration could expand the availability of ecommerce-priced SKUs across a larger network and alter fulfillment choices as Hills aligns PexUniverse’s digital operations with its branch footprint. That could improve delivery speed in some markets and change return or minimum-order policies in others.
Private investment partner
The transaction included a private investment firm focused on wholesale distribution and blue-collar services with typical portfolio company revenues between $25 million and $300 million. Hills said the investor shares the emphasis on scaling PexUniverse and pursuing long-term growth.
What to watch next
Key indicators of how the deal plays out: whether Hills integrates PexUniverse’s ecommerce platform across its other brands; any catalogue and pricing changes; and shifts to fulfillment, returns and lead times for customers. Distribution executives should watch whether Hills uses PexUniverse as a roll‑out model for digital-first fulfilment across its branch network.
For practitioners: suppliers should map where their SKUs appear across distributors’ digital catalogs and confirm data alignment and fulfillment terms. Distributors and agencies should weigh building digital capability in-house against acquiring ready-made ecommerce operations when speed-to-market and scale matter.
The deal underscores a broader trend: wholesalers are increasingly acquiring digital-native sellers to gain immediate ecommerce reach rather than building those capabilities from scratch. What follows is operational integration—where the real test of value and scale will occur.
