Cheltenham marketing business sells to AIM-listed comms company

Published by

Nicky Godding

South West law firm BPE Solicitors has acted for Cheltenham-based strategic marketing consultancy firm, The Craft Consulting on their sale to London-based, AIM-listed, Next Fifteen Communication Group PLC for an undisclosed sum.

Since its inception in 2015, The Craft Consulting has worked with a number of high profile and leading technology brands,delivering competitive positioning and strategic differentiation services combined with sales enablement and senior-level engagement campaigns.

Next Fifteen Communications Group PLC is a family of marketing businesses, covering digital content, PR, consumer, technology, marketing software, market research, public affairs and policy communications, specifically for technology companies.

The deal was led by Corporate Senior Associate, Adam Kean and Solicitor, Kathryn King. Sarah Lee and Will Carter from BPE’s Employment team also advised on the deal, providing legal advice on employment contracts and new service agreements.

Accounting and tax advice for the transaction was provided by James Whittaker and Peter Woodall of Hazlewoods Accountants.

Commenting on the deal, Adam said: “The Craft is a great example of a business founded in the South West that has grown to become a uniquely positioned operator in its sector. We were delighted to support the management team on this significant transaction and wish them all the best on their new journey with Next 15.”

Mark Wiseman-Smith, Managing Director of The Craft Consulting Limited, said: “The acquisition by Next Fifteen gives The Craft Consulting a strong platform to grow business in the US and APAC markets. As a small firm based in Cheltenham, we greatly appreciated the level of combined support the BPE and Hazlewoods team provided to make the acquisition right for us.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.