North West ecommerce specialist, Velstar, has acquired Scottish PPC and paid social agency, Yatter.
Founded in 2016, the Velstar group surpassed ambitions of reaching a £6M turnover by this year and is forecast to generate more than £10M of annual revenue in 2024, an increase of 250% since 2022.
The acquisition of Yatter, founded by Gavin Bell, is the latest piece of that puzzle, specialising in paid advertising, including PPC and social, with a portfolio of 60+ clients including Loch Lomond Group and Countrywide among many others.
Offering an all-round service from strategy building to copywriting and creative services, this acquisition will bolster Velstar’s current marketing capabilities, bringing the total headcount to more than 150 client-focussed employees.
Velstar CEO, Peter Birks, said: “This is a positive move for the Velstar group as we continue to expand our services and grow our team and expertise. With our building strategic plans for 2025, I am confident there are exciting and rewarding times ahead for our customers and colleagues.”
Gavin Bell, Yatter founder and CEO, added: “Velstar’s impressive growth and shared vision to be the UK’s #1 independent agency made them the perfect partner for Yatter’s next chapter. Building Yatter alongside my business partner, Dave McCall, has been a rewarding journey, and I’m thrilled to see our team’s expertise in paid advertising join Velstar’s growing capabilities across the likes of Shopify.”
Cactus, a global M&A advisory and growth consultancy for founders, was the exclusive financial adviser to the shareholders of Yatter, with the goal being to connect with a buyer who matched the culture and would sustain mutual growth for the future.
Velstar’s purchase of Yatter follows the acquisition of Leeds-based B2B agency, 9XB, in August 2024, Surrey based agency, WeTeachCRO in March 2024 and Chester based marketing agency, We Influence, in October 2022, allowing the Shopify Plus Partner to continue to improve its end-to-end commerce support across major brands, such as Tangle Teezer, NEOM, Castore, Avon and more.
