THE MARKETING GROUP AGREES TO ACQUISITION TERMS FOR LARGEST DEAL TO DATE

• New companies signed to exclusive terms include: Khemistry (Aus), Marc Edward Agency (Aus), McCorkell & Associates (Aus) and Precision Marketing Group (UK).
• Total annualized revenues and EBITDA from these acquisitions approximate €30,000,000 and €4,500,000, respectively.
• Total purchase price amounts to €29,619,000 with a share capital increase of approximately 8,027,079 shares for these acquisitions.
• Completion of these four acquisitions and pending acquisitions will bring the total wholly owned subsidiaries in The Marketing Group to 23 Companies.
• Pro Forma Annual EBITDA per share would increase from 36.52 cents to 39.79 cents.

Stockholm, 17 November 2016 – THE MARKETING GROUP PLC (“TMG” or “the Group”), the world’s leading digital marketing and advertising agglomeration, announces that it has entered into exclusive terms to acquire four new companies. The new companies will add a range of digital content development, marketing and advertising capabilities to the Group and significantly strengthen its offering in the important markets of the Australia and the UK.

These acquisitions will bring the total number of wholly owned portfolio companies within the Group to 23. Together, these businesses have 46 offices in 10 countries, serving clients across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Each company retains its own unique brand while benefitting from the scale, international reach and access to other products and services that come with being part of The Marketing Group’s global network.

The new subsidiary businesses added to The Marketing Group are:

1. 1.     Khemistry Pty Ltd – founded in 2004 and based in Brisbane, Australia – offers brand strategy, brand activation, content development and digital marketing services to public and private sector clients including Queensland Department of Education & Training, Ergon Energy, Brisbane City Council and other Queensland state government departments. For more information visit www.khemistry.com.au.
2. 2.     Marc Edward Agency Pty Ltd – launched in 1996 and based in Sydney, Australia – operates as a national through the line agency, specializing in “bringing brands to life through the use of people, activation & comms”. It works across multiple channels in retail and out of home environments with clients including Moet Hennessey, Nikon, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L’Oreal, and LVMH. For more information, visit www.marcedward.com.au  
3. 3.     McCorkell & Associates Pte Ltd – established in 1991 and with a head office in Sydney, Australia – delivers end-to-end integrated services under a B2B IT&T marketing umbrella to the Asia Pacific region. McCorkell & Associates has worked with leadings brands including AIG, HP, Telstra, Google, Symantec, LinkedIn, Lexus, and Vmware. For more information, visit www.mccorkell.com.au.  
4. 4.     Precision Marketing Group Ltd – established in 1994 and based in the Suffolk, UK – provides a range of marketing services primarily to the pharmaceutical sector, including data management, digital marketing solutions, e-Learning solutions and telemarketing. Clients include, Johnson & Johnson, Omega Pharma, Zoopla and Boots Opticians. For more information, visit www.precisionmarketinggroup.co.uk.
   
   

The acquisitions are expected to be completed on or before the first quarter of 2017.

Jeremy Harbour, Executive Chairman, The Marketing Group plc comments: “I am delighted to be able to announce The Marketing Group’s largest deal to date. Each business meets our strict criteria and will contribute to a significant increase in shareholder value. Looking forward, our pipeline of high quality marketing services companies ready to join the Group is strong and growing and we will continue to execute further accretive acquisitions that create value for our shareholders and deliver outstanding services to our clients.”

Group Financials

Pro forma forecast for the whole group of 23 companies for 2016, including all pending acquisitions.

Jeremy Harbour will be conducting an Investor Video Call regarding this press release on 18th November 2016, 9am CET. Kindly join the call with the following link: https://zoom.us/j/330287984.

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 7am CET on 18th of November 2016.

For more information, please contact

Malcolm Robertson / Tom Evrard

Phone: +65 6831 7829 / 6831 7801

E-mail: ftiunitygroup@fticonsulting.com 

The Marketing Group in brief

The Marketing Group plc is a global marketing and advertising company that brings together a portfolio of successful and independent digital marketing businesses, each offering unique and complementary products and services. Together these businesses make up a global network offering a full suite of digital marketing and advertising services. The consolidated group supports its subsidiaries with management and coordinating activities as well as a common operating platform. The Marketing Group was incorporated in May 2015 and listed on Nasdaq First North Stockholm on 8 June 2016. Mangold Fondkommission AB, +46 8-5030 15 50, is the Company’s Certified Adviser and liquidity provider.