Leamington marketing agency celebrates 40 years

Palmer Hargreaves, an international marketing and communications agency, is marking 40 years since it opened its doors for business in February 1984.

The small agency has now grown into a multi-million pound business with a global workforce of more than 250 employees. Despite its success on the world stage, it retains an important connection to its hometown of Leamington Spa.

Palmer Hargreaves began as the brainchild of Andrew Clift and John Vize, who set up shop as an advertising agency working for global car giant Ford, and continues to work with the agency. At a time when Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s hit ‘Relax’ was top of the UK charts, not even the founders could have foreseen the future success of the business, which generates annual revenues of £20.3 million and has an established presence across continents.

Simon Tierney, Managing Director of Palmer Hargreaves UK, said: “Over the past 40 years, our business has weathered economic downturns and massive technological change. Our longevity and success comes from our willingness to anticipate new trends and adapt to the possibilities that they create. Staying ahead of the curve is what has got us to where we are today.”

From its base on the Parade, where it was headquartered for more than 30 years before relocating to Waterloo Place in 2018, followed by a move to The Forty4 on Oxford Street last year, the business first set its sights on international expansion in the 1990s. It opened an office in Germany in 1996, in a move that was pivotal to its overall success.

“We specialise in marketing and communications within complex industrial sectors and recognised that we needed to have a physical presence in Germany, given its importance within global manufacturing. We saw the world becoming more interconnected and knew we had to be bold and set our sights beyond the UK to give our international clients the best possible service,” Simon added.

The agency has enjoyed organic growth, supplemented through strategic acquisitions, the most significant of which came in 2013, when German PR firm, PR Partner, was brought under the Palmer Hargreaves banner.

The agency owes much of its success to Leamington Spa and it continues to support local charitable organisations such as Helping Hands. “We’ve been hugely fortunate as a business and see it as our duty to try and give something back to the community," said Simon. "Whether it’s through sponsored events or our pro bono marketing and creative support for Helping Hands, it feels good to use our skills to make a positive difference and help others.”

Palmer Hargreaves sees Artificial Intelligence (AI) as one of the trends that will define the next chapter of its journey. “It’s impossible to overstate the potential impact of AI on the marketing and communications industry, and we are at the forefront of this exciting new technology. Our focus is now on unlocking the potential of AI and a big part of this is promoting a culture of continuous learning, so that our people know exactly how to use technology to be faster, better and more creative," Simon added.