Greater Manchester-headquartered market research firm B2B International has been acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network and will become part of gyro.
Founded by Paul Hague in 1998 and based out of Bramhall with further offices in London, New York and Chicago, Beijing and Shanghai, Brussels and Moscow, B2B International has grown significantly in recent years and reported revenue for the year to the end of 2017 of just over £11m.
It provides bespoke market research solutions for 600 blue-chip companies globally including Stanley Black & Decker, BASF, E.ON and Bridgestone, and employs around 150 staff, with 90 of them based in Bramhall.
The financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Dentsu Aegis said the deal would “further enhance” gyro’s offering. The agency, which works with the likes of HP, Vodafone, Danone, eBay and Google, was itself acquired by the Dentsu Aegis Network in 2016 and has 17 offices worldwide, including a presence in Manchester.
The deal has been spearheaded by gyro UK and the benefits of the deal will be leveraged internationally across its global network.
Kate Howe, CEO, gyro UK, said: “We’re really excited to be joining forces with B2B International – a company we have long admired – at a time when the business-to-business space is growing fast and becoming more sophisticated than ever.
“The combination of our highly complementary services will create an unrivalled end-to-end marketing powerhouse for B2B brands, delivering greater value to our clients and continuing our trend to innovate in the market.”
Nick Hague, founder and chairman, B2B International, said: “The rapid speed at which the marketing landscape is changing demands world-leading insight-led creative communications capable of helping B2B clients win in every industry sector. We believe that our combined businesses can achieve just that and deliver a broader B2B offering, driven by insights and intelligence.”
B2B International, whose UK-based clients include Wolseley, Yodel, Celesio, and Kingspan, will remain headquartered in the UK and operate under the brand, B2B International – a gyro company.
Pictured: Kate Howe from gyro with Nick Hague from B2B International
