THE MARKETING GROUP PLC ACQUIRES WILDCARD COMMUNICATIONS
Acquisition expands Ranieri footprint in Germany
London – 29 November 2017 - The Marketing Group plc (“TMG” or the “Company” or the “Group”) is pleased to announce the acquisition of German communications specialist, wildcard communications GmbH (“wildcard”) (the “Acquisition”).
Primarily focused on PR, social media and influencer campaigns, wildcard is being acquired by the Group’s technology and lifestyle communications agency Ranieri Communications. Wildcard’s current client base includes a number of well established brands such as BMW, Canon, EA Games and Bosch. Founded in Germany in 2008 by CEO Georg Reckenthaler, wildcard is characterised by creativity, reliability and passion to deliver on ideas and concepts that drive its clients’ communication objectives.
The Acquisition is part of a wider strategy to expand Ranieri’s wholly-owned global, PR, social and influencer network and follows the acquisition of French communications agency, Reflexion Publique earlier this year.
In the year to 31 December 2016 wildcard had revenues of €1.5 million. The total consideration for the Acquisition will be based on a three year earnout at a maximum of seven times wildcard’s profit after tax if the business achieves certain income and profit growth targets. The initial consideration is being satisfied by way of a working capital injection into wildcard of €234,000, paid in cash. The next payment is scheduled to be made in Q1 2019 and will be based on three times wildcard’s 2018 profit after tax, less the €234,000 working capital injection. This will be paid 50:50 in cash and TMG shares. Any shares issued in connection with the Acquisition will be subject to a one year lock in period and be subject to an orderly market agreement thereafter.
Commenting, Founder of wildcard and CEO, Georg Reckenthaler, said:
“We very much look forward to joining the fantastic team at Ranieri. wildcard’s passion and expertise for award-winning communication campaigns are a perfect match for Ranieri’ s vision for innovative, integrated public relations.
“By joining Ranieri and combining our talented teams, we are not only able to further deliver unique and creative campaigns for our clients, but also extend the scope and depth of industry relations into Europe and beyond. The combination of digital public relations, content creation, influencer relations and marketing deliver the perfect match for our teams in order to maximize our clients’ return on investment.”
Group Managing Director of Ranieri Communications, Pietro Ranieri added:
“We are extremely pleased to be adding wildcard to Ranieri. wildcard has had impressive growth over the past ten years and has an even more impressive current client roster. Ranieri is currently rolling out a three-year plan to grow its service offering as well as geographies by continuing to acquire first class agencies such as wildcard. By bringing wildcard into our growing network, we unlock additional shared value through our complementary service offering, sector focus and increased geographical reach.”
Commenting, Adam Graham, TMG CEO, said:
“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of wildcard today and believe it will provide a very useful addition for our Ranieri Communications subsidiary. The acquisition brings a skilled team, a strong customer base and of importance to TMG shareholders is evidence that, following a period of restructuring at TMG, we are on the acquisition trail as we seek to expand our global footprint.”
For further information please contact:
Adam Graham, CEO, TMG
Email: investorrelations@tmg-plc.com
Media
Lydia Oakes
Phone: +44 (0)7710 244573
Email: lydia@bluestripemedia.co.uk
Investor relations
IFC Advisory
Tim Metcalfe
Miles Nolan
Phone: +44 (0) 207 652 9789
Email: investorrelations@tmg-plc.com
This information is information that The Marketing Group plc is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 7.00am CET on 29 November 2017.
The Marketing Group plc (“TMG”) in brief
TMG is building a global full-service marketing network, powered by technology, that provides a fresh alternative for global brands that want to see more bang for their buck. With offices in America, Europe, Asia and Australasia, TMG’s collaborative network of agencies provide a holistic service to deliver highly effective results.
The Marketing Group is listed on Nasdaq First North, Stockholm. www.tmg-plc.com.
Mangold Fondkommission AB, +46 8-5030 15 50, is the company’s Certified Adviser and liquidity provider.
About Ranieri Communications
Ranieri has been at the forefront of consumer tech and lifestyle communications since it was established in 2002. The company specialises in media relations, social media management, influencer campaigns and content creation, and is proud to be an ambassador for its clients’ brands as well as a trusted extension of their teams.
Based in central London with local offices and partner agencies around the world, Ranieri is able to act as a single point of contact with one brief and one plan delivered across multiple countries.
Ranieri believes that a great agency is made up of a diverse set of people who can work together brilliantly as well as offer their own individual skills and expertise to bring that extra special something to the mix.
For further information, visit www.raniericommunications.com
About wildcard communications GmbH
"wildcard" represents smart consulting and strategic thinking with a creative and surprising idea for the implementation with press, bloggers, influencers, partners and internal audiences alike. As a digital communications agency headquartered in Krefeld with offices in Hamburg and Munich, the consultants work in the fields of digital public and influencer relations, content creation and video production. According to its many years of experience in sectors such as IT, mobile communications, consumer electronics, games and entertainment, wildcard combines creative ideas with reliable project management, well-integrated campaign management and a strong network of partners both with media, industry and trade. www.wildcard-communications.de
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