Merkle snaps up London-based DBG
Merkle has snapped up London-based DBG for an undisclosed sum in the latest sign of consolidation in the performance marketing sector.
DBG specialises in employing data, analytics and technology to drive consumer interaction with brands such as Center Parcs, RBS and Sony.
The purchase was brokered by Results International, acting on behalf of DBG, with managing partner, Keith Hunt, explaining: “This is a really exciting opportunity for the team at data analytics specialist DBG to be part of a fast-growing private business.
"Merkle is a leading performance marketing agency and the largest independent digital business in the US, with revenues of over $500m, but one that still plays under the radar here in the UK.
“The acquisition of DBG follows hot on the heels of that of London-based Periscopix in 2015 and means that Merkle now has a significant foothold in the UK. Moreover, the move to London by Tim Berry, formerly president of Merkle’s CRM solutions, as president of Merkle Europe, to drive the agency’s overall European growth strategy, is a powerful statement of intent.
"It’s clear that Merkle is planning to build a European business that rivals its US operation in terms of scale and ambition.
“Merkle made a very bullish public declaration last spring that it had set aside $1 billion for M&A over the next five years. Its acquisitions here in the UK together with its stated ambitions would suggest we can expect to see more from Merkle in the months ahead.”
The tie-up reinforces Merkle’s strategy of bolstering its European presence.