Acquisition of Brand View

3 September 2018

Ascential plc

Acquisition of Brand View

Ascential plc (LSE: ASCL.L), the global specialist information company, today announces the acquisition of Brand View Limited ("Brand View"), a leading global provider of Price and Promotion analytics to retailers and manufacturers. 

Founded in 2008, Brand View offers data and analysis to retailers and manufacturers to allow them to measure and manage pricing and promotion activity and drive sales, across both off-line and on-line market places.  Brand View serves over 200 customers from offices in Reading (UK), Stamford Connecticut (USA) and Paris (France). 

Brand View broadens Ascential's eCommerce analytics offering, adding a highly complementary service (Price and Promotion) to the existing specialisms of Sales & Share and Digital Shelf currently provided by OCR and Clavis.  Additionally, Brand View introduces a new customer segment, retailers, together with coverage of off-line retail and a comprehensive and highly scalable data platform.  Brand View will form part of Ascential's "Sales" segment and will be integrated with OCR, Clavis and Planet Retail RNG in due course.

The acquisition was funded from Ascential's cash reserves.  Initial cash consideration paid was £29.8m and further deferred consideration, expected to total £8.2m, is payable subject to the achievement of targets for subscription billings through the remainder of 2018 and the first half of 2019.  Unaudited revenue for the year to June 2018 was £13m and the transaction is expected to be earnings accretive in Ascential's current financial year with Brand View expected to generate adjusted EBITDA margins of approximately 20%. 

Duncan Painter, CEO of Ascential, commented:

"We have a clear focus on providing information and capabilities that enable our customers to succeed in the digital economy.  The acquisition of Brand View, using capital released from the sale of the Exhibitions business, supports this goal by broadening our capabilities in eCommerce analytics.  Brand View's Price and Promotion expertise, and coverage of store-based activity, provides a comprehensive offering for both retailers and manufacturers."

About Ascential plc:

Ascential is a specialist, global, information company that helps the world's most ambitious businesses win in the digital economy. Our information, insights, connections, data and digital tools solve customer problems in three disciplines:

·      Product Design via global trend forecasting service WGSN;

·      Marketing via global benchmark for creative excellence and effectiveness Cannes Lions and WARC, and strategic advisory firm MediaLink; and

·    Sales via retail and eCommerce strategy and analytics products from One Click Retail, Clavis Insight and PlanetRetail RNG, the world's premier payments and Fin Tech congress Money20/20, global retail industry summit World Retail Congress and Retail Week.

Ascential also powers political, construction and environmental intelligence brands DeHavilland, Glenigan and Groundsure.