WAA has made its second acquisition of the year with the purchase of specialist print management and procurement business Converge Control for an undisclosed sum.
The deal comes after a period of rapid expansion for WAA following its acquisition in January of MarketingNet, an international web development and design company.
During the same month, WAA also recruited four key members of the Twist Marketing team following the closure of their agency.
WAA said the deal to buy Converge Control, which is based in Runcorn, was a further realisation of its strategic growth plan to establishes itself as the largest independent marketing services group outside of London.
Converge Control was founded in 2005 and provides a range of print management services to blue chip organisations.
Services include print procurement, print supply chain management and stock handling, and the company has a track record in delivering demonstrable cost savings for clients.
The company has also developed a software product, Control-IT, which allows clients to manage their print supplies via a user-friendly web-based interface.
The business has been renamed Converge Print Management and has become the third business to make up the WAA group of companies, joining advertising agency WAA and database and marketing intelligence provider Send Marketing Solutions.
WAA chief executive Andrew Wilson said: “The WAA group of companies has developed considerably in recent years.
“The addition of Converge to the portfolio adds another noteworthy string to our bow and contributes significantly towards ensuring we stay in the best position to meet changing client requirements whatever their size, stature or need. The business proposition aligns well with the group’s policy of delivering a tangible return on our clients’ investment, and the combined Send and Converge offer is especially compelling during recessionary times.
“Despite challenging trading conditions, WAA is financially, culturally and structurally prepared for acquisitional growth and today’s announcement is further evidence of our intentions.”
Converge founder and managing director Guy Thornbery will continue to manage the business, and two further employees have transferred to the new entity. The business will be based at Send’s premises in Aldridge, with further production facilities located near Manchester.
The Converge deal comes just three months after WAA took on four of the 11 staff members of Twist Communications after the agency went into administration in January. These included former Twist managing director Beki Underhill who transferred to WAA to continue working with former Twist clients such as Mitchells & Butlers, Perfect Home, Moneyway and Interactive Telecom.
Earlier that month WAA bought out Leamington Spa-based web development and design agency Marketing-Net from Day.
