St Ives acquires market research specialist Incite
St Ives has acquired market research specialist Incite for £11.4m, it has been revealed.
As part of the deal, further consideration may be payable based on financial performance for the years ending 28 February 2013 and 28 February 2014, with a further maximum payment of £6.1m.
Results International consulted on the deal.
Keith Hunt, Results International managing partner, said: “For several years now we have been seeing a new breed of buyer entering the marketing communications sector alongside the networks, mid cap companies and private equity firms. The publishing/printing industry is showing a great deal of appetite and companies like St Ives, Meredith and Hearst are leading the pack, intent on building their own marketing communications offerings. On its website, for example, St Ives tells us that it is “now the UK's leading independent print, display and related marketing services group.
“Many traditional media companies have seen the writing on the wall for a while now. Those like St Ives with the resources as well as the foresight to do so are quickly buying into the skill sets that they feel will best future-proof their businesses.
“Specialist businesses with the right expertise, IP and/or technology offer will find that there are plenty who are willing to invest in their future. Incite is an industry leading specialist market research firm and it fits comfortably with St Ives’ strategy of building a robust offer across data, DM, insight and research capabilities.”