McConnells Group acquires Bird & Moore as founders retire
Midlands advertising agency McConnells Group has acquired local rivals Bird & Moore.
The Derby-based agency will take on the advertising and PR accounts of its Midlands rival which it has acquired ahead of the planned retirement of its founders Norman Bird, creative director and Neil Moore, managing director.
Bird & Moore was originally founded in Lichfield, Staffordshire in 1986 who had previously worked at Brookes & Vernons and the Saatchi & Saatchi Group in the 1980’s.
Following the acquisition, its client portfolio made up of local and national companies based primarily in the B2B arena, will transfer to McConnells.
No personnel will move to McConnells which will allocate the accounts to its existing staff although Moore will work as a consultant for McConnells for at least the next six months to facilitate a smooth transition of accounts.
Robert Eley, chairman of McConnells, said: “Over the years, Neil and Norman have built a reputation among their clients for being dedicated, trustworthy and professional and the calibre of their clients both past and present is testament to that.
“They made it clear from the very beginning that they were looking to sell to an agency that shared their approach and I am proud that they recognise those same qualities in McConnells.”
Moore said: “There were a number of agencies interested in acquiring Bird & Moore, but we both felt that McConnells most closely matched our culture and approach.
“It was of paramount importance to us that our clients would continue to receive the very best in terms of service and we are confident that with McConnells they will continue to do so.”