Rippleffect sold weeks after founder’s departure
DIGITAL agency Rippleffect has been sold by Trinity Mirror, weeks after it confirmed that founder Ben Hatton had moved across to a role at the publisher.
Idox has paid £2m for the agency – considerably less than the £3.2m paid by Trinity Mirror in 2008 – as it targets £100m in annual revenues. Rippleffect broke even on revenues of £6.3m in the year to December 27 2015.
The agency was founded in 1999 and made its name building Premier League football club websites. It remains focused on leisure industries and the Liverpool-based company’s clients include its home city’s two football clubs, J D Wetherspoon and Visit Guernsey.
Richard Kellett-Clarke, chief executive of Idox, said: “The acquisition of Rippleffect significantly enhances our growing presence in the digital B2C marketplace. It supports our strategy to extend our markets as well as increasing our capability to deliver digital services across our public and private sector markets.”
Idox has confirmed the business, which employs over 70 staff, will remain in Liverpool and will be managed by its existing team.
Rippleffect changed its leadership in June, with marketing director Kirstie Buchanan replacing Hatton as managing director. Buchanan joined Rippleffect in 2010 after 10 years at Reading Room, which is also an Idox company.
Hatton is now managing director of Trinity Mirror’s Digital Marketing Services group.
