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MediaVest and Aegis stay tight-lipped on takeover talk

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

March 17, 2011 | 3 min read

MediaVest in Manchester has refused to confirm or deny rumours that it is being bought by Aegis Media.

Andy Jeal, a partner at MediaVest, issued a "no comment" and would not be drawn on the speculation when questioned by The Drum. Aegis has also remained silent.

Rumours of a deal began to surface first thing this morning and The Drum has been documenting developments in a live blog.

Aegis already owns fellow Manchester media buyer Feather Brooksbank and questions would naturally arise over its future if MediaVest is assimilated into the group.

Giles Brooksbank, chairman of Feathers, said he had heard nothing about the deal when The Drum spoke to him this morning. At that time he was on his way into a regular 'update' meeting with parent business Carat, which is again part of the Aegis group.

But a rival Manchester media buyer, who asked not to be named, suggested there would be no conflict if MediaVest and Feather Brooksbank did become bedfellows.

The agency boss said: "I would imagine that Feather Brooksbank could simply coexist with MediaVest, even if they are owned by the same group. Media Edge and MediaCom for example are both part of Group M and that arrangement works well. If this deal does go through Feather Brooksbank definitely won't disapear."

If the rumours are true, it is not yet clear why MediaVest has become a target for Aegis Media when it already has the Feather Brooksbank operation in Manchester.

One unconfirmed line of speculation is that Aegis agency Carat may want to service its newly-consolidated Asda business from an office in the North.

This would seem to be an appealing solution for Asda, which is based in Leeds and worked with the local office of Brilliant before moving its regional media business into Carat.

MediaVest has declared billings of £220m and a headcount of 170 staff, according to ALF data. Its key clients include Magnet Kitchens, Northern Rock, E.ON, Greggs and Holland & Barrett.

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