LSE listed media services company taken private and merged with division of UK subsidiary to form dominant UK business.

Task

This US group’s UK subsidiary was uncompetitive for local and multinational business so an independent media agency, a UK listed public company was selected, a USD 50m price negotiated and the business was “taken private”. The businesses were merged with revived branding and employees and clients were carefully managed during the post-acquisition period.

Result

The merged entity became and still is the largest media services business in the UK.