Eager to break into more retail channels, as well as expand its shelf space with wirehouse and brokerage platforms, American Beacon Advisors[profile], is on the prowl for new alternate investment products.

"We’re constantly looking for under-distributed excellence," says Brian Brett, vice president of sales and head of distribution at American Beacon. "Areas we are particularly interested in include inefficient asset classes, diversified income sources and non-correlated assets."

American Beacon, which previously focused on retirement channels, started its push into retail about three years ago, Brett says. After gradually building up staff, the firm's retail sales force now consists of 12 external wholesalers, each focusing on a particular geographic region, and four internal wholesalers.

However, Brett says the wirehouses and platforms represent a mature market that has seen a "a bit of volatility in your traditional asset classes."

"The talk is always about: yield, yield, yield, yield," he says. "That is why some of the unique products or new ways to find non-correlating assets are attracting their attention now."

To that end, American Beacon has already launched five new funds: the American Beacon Bridgeway Large Cap Value Fund; the American Beacon Stephens Mid-Cap Growth Fund; the American Beacon Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund; the American Beacon Holland Large Cap Growth Fund, and the American Beacon The London Company Income Equity Fund.

Brett said American Beacon has had "conversations with all the wirehouses and the larger independent firms." "We are selling products with all of them, but you always want to do more," he says.  

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