£16m turnover Leeds marketing business acquired
Leeds-based agency Intermarketing has been acquired by a joint holding company Advantage Smollan.
£26m turnover Advantage Smollan is a joint venture between Advantage Solutions, a US sales and marketing giant with 120 offices and Global Smollan and retail solutions business Global Smollan.
They have acquired the Leeds-based business, which has offices in London, Amsterdam and Sydney, for an undisclosed sum.
Intermarketing extends Advantage Smollan’s capabilities into several areas including brand and retail campaigns, strategy, brand communications, data and insights, and content creation.
Intermarketing was founded in 1988 and now has more than 170 members of staff. It turned over £15.8m for the year to March 2016 with pre-tax profits of £2.5m.
Intermarketing managing partners Steve Sowden and Jamie Allan said: “We’re excited for the future of Intermarketing Agency and for all the people we employ.
“The agency has seen rapid growth since 2011 and being part of the Advantage Smollan group will help move the agency to the next level. It was very important for us to find a parent company that had a shared vision, culture, and mindset when it came to business and we believe we have found exactly that.
“As part of the wider group we can continue to grow both our geographical reach and our skill base whilst supporting Advantage Smollan’s own plans for expansion.”
Laurence Clube, COO of Advantage Smollan, commented: “This move is hugely significant for us as we continue to broaden our range of services. It’s great to have a business of the quality of Intermarketing joining us.”
“Our expansion efforts are both geographic and capability-oriented,” said Tanya Domier, CEO of Advantage. “Intermarketing’s focus across consumer, shopper, and experiential marketing is similar to the service mix we have built our reputation around in the U.S. Bringing them on board strengthens our value proposition in Europe as well as our ability to service clients globally.”
David Smollan, CEO of Smollan, added: “We are very excited about the addition of Intermarketing to the Advantage Smollan portfolio. They are a great cultural fit for our group and bring great expertise through their diversified service offerings.”
The shareholders of Intermarketing were advised by Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison of Leeds law firm Clarion and tax advice was provided by Amanda Waterhouse of BHP Chartered Accountants in Leeds.
