What KMS does

KMS, LLC is a Wichita, Kansas-based wholesale distributor of closeout, overstock, and factory refurbished merchandise, founded in 1977 and operating as a privately held LLC. The company has executed over $2 billion in cumulative wholesale transactions with thousands of vendors and customers, and currently owns and leases more than 1 million square feet of warehouse space across six US distribution centers: Wichita and Hutchinson (Kansas), Los Angeles (California), Lafayette (Louisiana), Asheville (North Carolina), and Spartanburg (South Carolina). KMS serves both sides of the wholesale market: purchasing surplus inventories from businesses of any size without disrupting their normal sales channels, and reselling name brand and private label products to retail partners through wholesale accounts.

The company's product portfolio spans major consumer categories including clothing, hardware, appliances, electronics, heaters, AC units, and lighting. KMS has developed a portfolio of seven exclusive private label brands (Neat Living, Cool Comfort/CC, Trapper's Peak, Living Glow, Cool Living, Bright Living, Warm Living) focused on home living products. Operational capabilities include aggressive freight rates, multi-location warehousing, flexible shipping schedules, and same-day eCommerce fulfillment supported by a dedicated catalog platform at catalog.kmswholesale.com.

The go-to-market motion is account-based wholesale with self-service registration for both "Buy" and "Sell" programs, emphasizing long-term trading partnerships. Customer testimonials reference relationships spanning more than 20 years, indicating strong account stickiness. In December 2020, KMS received a $25 million credit facility from CIT Group and institutional equity from private equity firms Backcast Partners and New State Capital Partners, marking the company's first known institutional capital event. The company operates with 11-50 employees and has no public listing, app, or disclosed technology platform.

Name

KMS

Legal name

KMS, LLC

Website

https://kmswichita.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KMS, LLC is a Wichita, Kansas-based wholesale distributor of closeout, overstock, and factory refurbished merchandise, serving retailers, eCommerce resellers, and vendors across the US through 1M+ sq ft of warehouse space and seven private label brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Inventory Trading: KMS generates revenue by purchasing inventories from businesses (large or small) and reselling name brand and private label products to retail partners. The model involves bulk buying and selling with distribution capabilities across multiple US locations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

KMS purchases inventories of any size from businesses and resells name brand and private label products to retail buyers through wholesale accounts. The company operates a national distribution and fulfillment network with over 1 million sq. ft. of owned and leased warehouse space across six US locations, offering aggressive freight rates, multi-location warehousing, flexible shipping schedules, and same-day eCommerce fulfillment. KMS also markets an exclusive lineup of private label brands (Neat Living, Cool Living, Bright Living, Warm Living, Living Glow, Cool Comfort/CC, Trapper's Peak) across categories including clothing, hardware, appliances, electronics, heaters, AC units, and lighting.

Product overview

KMS is a full-service wholesale distributor offering a unified platform for buying and selling inventory across major product categories. The company operates two core services: Wholesale Inventory Purchasing (buying inventories from businesses) and Wholesale Inventory Distribution (supplying name brand and private label products to retailers). KMS's product portfolio spans multiple categories including Clothing, Hardware, Appliances, Electronics, Heaters, AC Units, and Lighting. The company also offers exclusive KMS private label brands including Neat Living, Cool Comfort (CC), Trapper's Peak, Living Glow, Cool Living, Bright Living, and Warm Living. National Distribution & Fulfillment services include over 1 million sq. ft. of warehouse space across six US locations with same-day eCommerce fulfillment capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neat Living: KMS branded product line - home living products
• Cool Living
• Bright Living
• Warm Living
• Living Glow
• CC
• Trapper's Peak

Products and services

• Wholesale Inventory Purchasing

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2B in wholesale transactions completed

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Merchandise Liquidators: Buys and resells name-brand closeouts, discontinued, and overstock inventory in bulk to retailers, flea market vendors, and exporters — directly comparable buying and selling model to KMS.
• Direct Liquidation: Wholesale supplier of liquidation pallets and closeout merchandise from major retailers and manufacturers — directly overlaps with KMS's core business of sourcing closeout/overstock and selling to wholesale buyers.
• B-Stock Solutions: Runs B2B liquidation marketplaces used by major retailers and manufacturers to sell customer returns and overstock in bulk; competes with KMS in the same wholesale closeout/overstock channel with a more tech-forward, marketplace-driven model.
• Bapko Liquidations: Family-owned wholesale liquidator of closeout, overstock, and customer-return merchandise serving a similar retail and reseller customer base as KMS.
• Liquidity Services: Operates B2B online liquidation marketplaces (Liquidation.com, GovDeals, GovLiquidation) connecting sellers of surplus merchandise to a buyer base — directly comparable to KMS's two-sided model of buying closeout/excess inventory and reselling to retail buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Big Lots: National closeout and discount retailer that sources much of its inventory from the same wholesale closeout/overstock channel KMS participates in; represents a downstream customer archetype and a competitor for the same limited supply of name-brand closeouts.
• Genuine Parts Company: Large diversified wholesale distributor (NAPA, S.P. Richards office, industrial) operating owned warehouses and a multi-category distribution model — comparable to KMS as a multi-category general-merchandise wholesaler with national infrastructure, though focused on different end categories.
• Dollar Tree: National deep-value retailer carrying a mix of consumables, variety, and seasonal closeout goods — representative of the discount/closeout downstream channel in which KMS's retail customers operate.
• TJX Companies: Largest off-price retailer globally (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods), an aggressive direct buyer of manufacturer overruns and closeouts — a major counterparty for closeout supply and a benchmark buyer competing with KMS for upstream inventory.
• Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings: Closeout retailer buying excess inventory from manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers — competes with KMS in purchasing closeout supply and is representative of the downstream retail channel KMS serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KMS