We take a look at the main M&A transactions, company acquisitions and investment rounds that have taken place in 2017 in Spain in the marketing and advertising sector.
Top M&A deals in advertising agencies in 2017
MEC absorbs Focus Media
At the beginning of August this year, the take-over of EQF to Focus Media. Although this integration had already been announced in 2015, both agencies still coexisted as independent companies. In fact, Focus Media signed a €8m contract with the Generalitat de Catalunya this year.
However, Focus Media has now ceased to exist and has become part of MEC, as announced on 8 August in the Official Gazette of the Mercantile Registry (BORME). According to this official document, Focus Media will transfer its assets en bloc to MEC, which will lead to its complete dissolution.
This operation is the culmination of what was already introduced in 2015, when MEC announced the departure of Jordi Calvet and Manel Urquijo, founders of Focus Media in 2001. Hugo Llebrés, until then general manager of MEC, took over the media agency.
Comdata Group acquires Overtop Group, Spanish contact centre operator
Comdata Groupa leading provider of CRM business process outsourcing in Europe and Latin America, has acquired 100% of the shares of Overtop Projects SL and its subsidiaries, a group that operates in the CRM BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) sector in Catalonia. The Italian group has carried out this acquisition through its Spanish subsidiary, Digitex.
The operation is part of the Group's strategy to actively continue its consolidation in strategic countries such as Spain, strengthening its brand and market position to become the third best operator.
Comdata is the industrial partner of reference for various industrial sectors in BPO services, such as contact centres, help desk, back office, credit management and document management. It has a workforce of more than 36,000 employees and a portfolio of more than 400 customers per year in 13 countries.
Founded in 2007, the Overtop Group provides inbound and outbound customer care and back office services to multinational and national clients in the banking, insurance, energy and services sectors. Since its foundation, the group has experienced strong growth and currently employs around 400 people.
International marketing platform Sortlist acquires Spanish company The Briefers
SortlistSortlist, the matchmaking platform between agencies and companies, is establishing itself in the Spanish market with the purchase of the Spanish company The Briefers, also dedicated to connecting agencies with advertisers. Although the terms of the deal are not known, it is known that Macarena Vayá Duarte, founder of The Briefers, will remain with the company as Managing Director of Sortlist in Spain.
Sortlist, founded in 2013 as a matchmaking platform between agencies and companies, now has an active international presence, with Belgium, France and Spain being its key markets.
The most important marketing and advertising investment rounds in 2017
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