Farmers Lumber Co. Poised to Acquire Round Top Mercantile
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Left to right, Walt Jackson, Farmers Lumber Company General Manager, and Herb Janssen, President of Farmers Board of Directors, stand in one of the lumber supply building in La Grange, similar to one that’s going to be built behind Round Top Mercantile. Photo by Jeff Wick
Two iconic Fayette County businesses are joining forces.
The 115-year-old Farmers Lumber Company of La Grange is set to acquire northern Fayette County’s busiest general store, Round Top Mercantile.
The deal is set to be finalized April 26.
FLC Holdings LLC will manage both properties, and the corporation will be run by Farmers’ Board of Directors (Herb Janssen, Harry Lehmann, Daniel Cernoch, Gary Lincke and Doug Stribling) with Walt Jackson as the company’s General Manager
“Officially we are acquiring them but it’s more like the merging of two equals,” said Janssen. President of the Farmers Lumber Board of Directors. “We’ll bring something to each other. They have such a good brand, good people and we don’t plan to change that.
“Combining the stores, we are looking to exceed $15 million in annual sales”
Jackson will continue to oversee the La Grange store operations to assure a smooth transition. J.B. Cravens will manage the “Merc” as it’s called by their loyal customers, and the name will not change.
One thing that will change in Round Top is that a 7,000 square foot lumber yard will be built behind the store. The operation there will be similar to Farmers, where people can go inside and pay for lumber and then drive around for loading.
Meanwhile, the acquisition will help Farmers offer more outdoor products including the Stihl line which will be added later this month.
The Sacks family, which has owned and operated the Mercantile since it opened in the 1980s, will continue and be involved with the transition with FLC Holdings. Specifically, Michael and Jackie Sacks will stay on-board and help manage operations going forward.
“They were looking for a transition, the Sacks wanted to keep the Merc locally owned and believed Farmers was a good fit. They wanted people that understood the business and were part of the community,” Janssen said.
The cooperation between the stores, Jackson said, will help with some of the supply chain issues that all retail operations have been experiencing over the last couple of years. Additionally, the cost of most hardware and lumber supplies continue to increase. It’s been a particularly unprecedented time for retail stores.
“With all the challenges we have experienced independently, this merger will make both stores stronger,” Jackson said
“We have to find ways to continue to grow and we are very excited about this merger,” Janssen said.