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ADVANTAGE SMOLLAN HAS ACQUIRED A MAJORITY OWNERSHIP OF WORKSHOP
August 15th, 2019, Stockholm, Sweden — Advantage Smollan, the joint holding company between Advantage Solutions and Global Smollan Holdings has acquired a majority ownership interest in WorkShop International.
WorkShop is the leading retail agency in the Nordics with an impressive client list consisting of many of the world’s most successful and sought-after brands within retail. Since 2016, the company has successfully branched out internationally by widening its service offerings across the Nordics and Holland. The investment by Advantage Smollan is yet another step towards meeting the demand for strategic, creative and tactical retail initiatives in several markets.
“We are enthusiastic about WorkShop joining Advantage Smollan,” said Laurence Clube, Chief Operating Officer of Advantage Smollan. “Our investment brings another high-quality business into the group, further expanding our geographical reach in line with our vision to improve and broaden our range of services for our customers.”
“Advantage Smollan’s strategy is perfectly in line with ours, meaning that we can accelerate our development, support our clients in more markets and reach more clients in Europe,” stated Payman Hazheer, CEO at WorkShop.
Hazheer, in addition to Kristofer Wanselius, the founder of Workshop, and Christian Appel, a founding partner, will remain active leaders within the business.
“We have always believed that WorkShop could excel with service offerings throughout Europe and are thrilled to align with a company like Advantage Smollan that shares our vision so we can achieve it together,” said Appel
WorkShop is the leading retail agency in the Nordics with a business idea to offer a unique combination of strategic, creative and tactical services for ambitious brands, to improve brand experiences and increase sales. WorkShop has had strong growth and won several Di Gasell awards, and was in 2019 named a Mästargasell company. The key to the success has been progressive business plans with great development focus on creativity, insights and the ability to deliver high quality services in several markets simultaneously. WorkShop doubled its profitability between 2018 and 2019, and had during 2018 a revenue of 288,8 million SEK and a result of 8,7 million SEK. For more information, visit https://work-shop.com
Advantage Smollan, founded in 2015, is a jointly owned holding company of Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan) that provides unified sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers across Europe. Advantage Smollan offers the industry’s best capabilities and technology along with the local knowledge to address the unique dynamics of individual markets. The company combines Advantage’s and Smollan’s best practices and resources with the extensive experience and market leadership of each portfolio company – all aligned in service excellence, thought leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit to deliver better results for clients and customers. For more information, visit www.advantagesmollan.com.
For further information, please contact:
Payman Hazheer, CEO WorkShop payman.hazheer@work-shop.com +46 70 977 2046
Laurence Clube, COO Advantage Smollan lclube@advantagesmollan.com +44 (0) 118927 1010
MODERN SLAVERY ACT COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
Advantage Smollan welcomes and supports the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2017 and published this statement in accordance with this Act. It sets out the steps that we, the Advantage Smollan Group, have taken to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within our business and supply chain. This statement covers the steps taken for the year ended 31 December 2017 and also details the ongoing steps we are taking to ensure that our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act are met in full. The full statement can be read here.
TAX STRATEGY STATEMENT
For the year ended 31 December 2018
This Strategy applies to the Advantage Smollan group of companies in the UK, which includes Advantage Sales & Marketing Limited, ASM Holdings Limited, Advantage Smollan Limited (“ASL”) and its subsidiaries. The main UK trading subsidiaries of ASL are Resource Experience Limited, Flixmedia Limited, Powerforce Field Marketing and Retail Services Limited, and Intermarketing Agency Limited. References to “AS UK” means all UK companies within the Advantage Smollan worldwide group.
AS UK’s Tax Strategy covers the core business principles we operate in relation to the management of UK taxes. The principal taxes are corporation tax, employment taxes, and VAT.
Our businesses
Founded in 2015, Advantage Smollan Limited is a jointly-owned holding company of Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan) that provides unified sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers across the UK and Europe. ASL has its head office in Winnersh, Berkshire, UK with a number of offices across UK and Europe.
Governance
Our Tax Strategy as described herein is approved, owned and overseen by our Chief Financial Officer Europe in collaboration with Advantage Solutions’ Senior Vice President Tax, and aligned with AS UK’s Code of Conduct. The Code drives behavioural and ethical requirements consistent with AS UK’s business and strategic objectives and is available on the Advantage Smollan website. Any extensive restructurings and/ or significant changes in tax liabilities are reviewed by our Chief Financial Officer Europe and Advantage Solutions’ Senior Vice President Tax. Day-to-day tax matters are delegated to AS UK’s Finance teams across the UK.
Attitude towards tax management
AS UK is a responsible taxpayer. This is recognised by the Tax Strategy, which establishes a clear group-wide approach based on openness and transparency in all aspects of tax reporting and compliance, wherever AS UK operates.
Our two overriding objectives for tax management are:
- To comply fully with the letter and spirit of UK tax law, in line with AS UK and its stakeholders’ expectations.
- To protect value for Advantage Smollan and its shareholders, in line with our broader fiduciary duties.
Strategic tax objectives
– We aim to ensure AS UK fulfils its tax obligations with regard to the administration and payment of all taxes, and to arrange our tax affairs according to the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Additionally, AS UK adheres to, and operates in accordance with, the recent changes in the way international transactions are taxed as a result of the OECD’s BEPS program and Action plans.
– We undertake only transactions that align with business activities and business objectives and not to seek tax advantage as a primary objective. AS UK’s tax management does not seek to enter into aggressive tax planning namely that which lacks economic substance or which is based on unreasonable assumptions.
– We actively and continuously assess, monitor and manage tax risks to ensure that they remain in line with AS UK’s business and strategic objectives. To keep tax risks as low as possible a number of risk management policies and governance arrangements have been designed, including controls specifically relating to tax compliance and reporting to which AS UK and its international subsidiaries are required to adhere to.
Given the scale of AS UK’s business and the complexity of tax legislation both in the UK and worldwide, it is inevitable that tax risks will arise. Where uncertainties exist or exposure is significant AS UK will seek external expert advice and, and where possible, will seek elimination or reduction of the exposure through transparent dialogue and communication with the tax authorities.
– We aim to comply with all current and future tax transparency requirements and display respect, integrity and professional cooperation in our dealings with HMRC and tax authorities worldwide and regard this way of working as fundamental.
We consider that the above statement complies with Advantage Smollan’s obligation under para 16(2) and para 25 (1), Sch 19 Finance Act 2016.
LEADING FULL SERVICE CREATIVE AGENCY INTERMARKETING AGENCY IS CELEBRATING ITS 30TH YEAR.
Founded in Leeds in 1988, the agency is recognised by the industry as a leading light in the marketing communications world. Intermarketing was recently named marketing agency of the year by the UK Agency awards, ranked first in The Drum’s annual agency census and third by marketing community Prolific North plus contributes millions to the local Leeds economy, which is arguably the UK’s biggest financial and business centre outside London.
Intermarketing’s 225-strong team is based across six offices in Leeds, London, Manchester, New York, Amsterdam and Sydney. The agency is comprised of creatives, strategists, marketers, digital specialists, designers, producers and analysts working for leading UK and global brands including adidas, Reebok, Bupa, Thomas Cook and the NSPCC.
Client adidas has been with the agency for an industry-bucking 20+ years.
Intermarketing first opened for business as a direct marketing agency working for the mail order giants of the north, such as Grattan and Next Directory. As the marketing communications landscape changed and the agency grew, print, brand development, retail and packaging design and digital, 3D and animation capabilities were added to the agency’s offering.
In 2011, Client Services Director Steve Sowden and Head of Media Jamie Allan along with Creative Directors Paul Mountford and Michael Harris and Financial Director Andrew Watson, went through a management buy out. The team grew the business from 40 to 220+ people over the following six years before becoming part of Advantage Smollan, a European-based group of sales and marketing companies in 2017.
The agency is proud of the ‘Making it Happen’ ethos which underpins its creatively-led, service-driven, ROI-focussed reputation. Together with it entrepreneurial, ‘can do’ spirit (summed up quite literally in its recent Can Do beer launch and own brand, Imaginarium gin), this reputation is in part responsible for Intermarketing’s unusually long staff and client tenure, with client relationships lasting on average 10 years and many team members clocking up 10 year+ through the office doors.
Managing Partner Nickii Gray, who joined the agency as a client services exec back in 2006 before heading up operations in 2015, comments: “Celebrating your 30th anniversary is an achievement in any industry – but especially one where riding the waves of change is a given. Our industry is cyclical. When we started out, the agency focused on direct marketing. Brands moved away from that channel in its purest sense but with the proliferation of data and the need for increased relevancy, intelligently targeted communications are a must and we are reimagining direct response for our clients. The trend for specialists versus the requirement for integrated services has fluctuated over the years too, but we have always stayed true to being full service – to being able to offer our clients the right blend of products and expertise that solve their problems in the most successful of ways, at any given time. And we’ll continue to build the agency in that way over the next 30 years.”
Joint Chief Executive Partner Jamie Allan said: “We’re proud of not only navigating but also helping to lead that massive communications shift in the marketing industry – especially in the retail sector which is undergoing its own seismic challenges. The innovation we deliver for global brands such as adidas and Reebok, combining digital brand engagement with pioneering instore customer experience, demonstrates our ambition, intelligent thinking, exceptional creativity and brilliant delivery.”
Steve Sowden, Joint Chief Executive Partner continues: “We’ve built our success on clear ambition, amazing people, hard work and integrity. Our future will be focussed on continuing to develop our integrated agency proposition and with a clear focus on our retail specialism and frictionless creative production on a global scale. We will continue to expand our geographies, opening in markets where our clients are and need us to be. Ultimately, our long held ambition is to be the best agency in the world, and the best place to work, and we love continuing to crack on, on that path, everyday.”
INTERMARKETING AGENCY WINS UK MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Intermarketing Agency, an Advantage Smollan Company, has been named Marketing Agency of the Year by the UK Agency Awards. The award show celebrates exceptional agencies, campaigns and talent across 22 categories. Judged by professionals in marketing, communications, advertising and digital from the UK’s biggest and best brands, the award show is fiercely competitive and the accolade serves as a testament to the tremendous work conducted by Intermarketing Agency.
Joining Advantage Smollan in June 2017, Intermarketing Agency is an integrated, creatively-driven and service-led agency with a focus on ROI. With 29 years of brand building expertise Intermarketing Agency has the ability to execute campaign ideas globally across all channels, building specialist teams around client requirements to offer true collaboration and expertise in brand communications, data and CRM, digital, experiential, retail, TV and video, 3D and animation, media, partnerships, content, and social media. For additional information visit www.intermarketing.com
MODERN SLAVERY ACT COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
Advantage Smollan welcomes and supports the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and published this statement in accordance with this Act. It sets out the steps that we, the Advantage Smollan Group, have taken to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within our business and supply chain. This statement covers the steps taken for the year ended 31 December 2016 and also details the ongoing steps we are taking to ensure that our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act are met in full. The full statement can be read here.
ADVANTAGE SMOLLAN ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF HAMILTON BRIGHT
July 3rd 2017 – Advantage Smollan, the joint holding company between Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan), announced today its pending acquisition of Hamilton Bright Group B.V., a specialist in sales, brand activation and market intelligence in the Netherlands and Belgium. The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
Advantage Smollan provides outsourced sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers in a number of European markets. Hamilton Bright extends Advantage Smollan’s reach into the key markets of the Netherlands and Belgium and provide a unified solution for customers in these countries. Hamilton Bright will continue to operate under its current name.
Laurence Clube, Chief Operating Officer of Advantage Smollan, commented, “I am very excited about Hamilton Bright joining Advantage Smollan. This move brings a high quality business into the group and will enable us to improve and broaden what we do for our customers by sharing best practices.”
“To build Advantage Smollan’s footprint across Europe, we are targeting companies that are number one in their markets and share our entrepreneurial culture and passion for adding value. We have clearly found that in Hamilton Bright,” said Tanya Domier, CEO of Advantage.
David Smollan, Chief Executive Officer of Smollan, added, “We are excited to partner with Hamilton Bright who are a great cultural fit for our group and bring great expertise through their diversified service offerings”.
Hamilton Bright was founded in 2000 and holds a client portfolio that includes many of the largest companies operating in the Netherlands and Belgium, whether of national or international origin.
“Hamilton Bright has a strong history of success in improving retail sales in the consumer electronics, body and healthcare, and food sectors,” said Claudio Missaglia, CEO of Hamilton Bright. “We believe that as part of Advantage Smollan we will continue to deliver exceptional results for our clients and to increase the opportunities for our people.”
About Advantage Smollan
Founded in 2015, Advantage Smollan is a jointly-owned holding company of Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan) that provides unified sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers across Europe. Advantage Smollan offers the industry’s best capabilities and technology along with the local knowledge to address the unique dynamics of individual markets. The company combines Advantage’s and Smollan’s best practices and resources with the extensive experience and market leadership of each portfolio company – all aligned in service excellence, thought leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit to deliver better results for clients and customers. For more information, visit www.advantagesmollan.com. For more information on Advantage, visit www.advantagesolutions.net. For more information on Smollan, visit www.smollan.com.
About Hamilton Bright Group
Hamilton Bright is a shopper sales & marketing specialist, building and strengthening brands on the shop floor for some of the biggest brands in consumer electronics, the food industry, DIY, out of home and personal & healthcare. Hamilton Bright specializes in providing sales, brand activation and marketing intelligence solutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. For additional information, visit www.hamiltonbright.com
| Contacts | ||
| Advantage Solutions Will Minton, VP Corporate Marketing Tel: 949 797 3105 Email: will.minton@advantagesolutions.net | Global Smollan Holdings Monique Yaffe, Chief Marketing Officer Tel: +27 11 458 0000 Email: monique.yaffe@smollan.com | |
| Bryce Robinson, General Counsel Tel: 949 794 2204 Email: bryce.robinson@advantagesolutions.net | Advantage Smollan Laurence Clube, COO Advantage Smollan Tel: +44 (0)118 927 1010 Email: lclube@advantagesmollan.com | |
| Hamilton Bright Claudio Missaglia, CEO Tel: +31(0)6 53 215 747 Email: c.missaglia@hamiltonbright.com |
ADVANTAGE SMOLLAN ACQUIRES INTEGRATED CREATIVE AGENCY INTERMARKETING
June 5th, 2017 – Advantage Smollan, the joint holding company between Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan), announced today its acquisition of Intermarketing Agency (Intermarketing), an award-winning, integrated creative agency based in London, Leeds, Amsterdam, and Sydney.
Advantage Smollan provides outsourced sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers in a number of European markets. Intermarketing extends Advantage Smollan’s capabilities into several areas including brand and retail campaigns, strategy, brand communications, data and insights, and content creation.
Laurence Clube, COO of Advantage Smollan, commented, “This move is hugely significant for us as we continue to broaden our range of services. It’s great to have a business of the quality of Intermarketing joining us.”
“Our expansion efforts are both geographic and capability-oriented” said Tanya Domier, CEO of Advantage. “Intermarketing’s focus across consumer, shopper, and experiential marketing is similar to the service mix we have built our reputation around in the U.S. Bringing them on board strengthens our value proposition in Europe as well as our ability to service clients globally.”
David Smollan, CEO of Smollan, added, “We are very excited about the addition of Intermarketing to the Advantage Smollan portfolio. They are a great cultural fit for our group and bring great expertise through their diversified service offerings.”
Intermarketing, with over 170 members of staff, was founded in 1988 and holds an impressive client portfolio including brands from the worlds of sports, finance, and fashion.
“We’re excited for the future of Intermarketing Agency and for all the people we employ.” said joint Managing Partners Steve Sowden and Jamie Allan.
“The agency has seen rapid growth since 2011 and being part of the Advantage Smollan group will help move the agency to the next level. It was very important for us to find a parent company that had a shared vision, culture, and mindset when it came to business and we believe we have found exactly that.”
“As part of the wider group we can continue to grow both our geographical reach and our skill base whilst supporting Advantage Smollan’s own plans for expansion.”
About Advantage Smollan
Founded in 2015, Advantage Smollan is a jointly-owned holding company of Advantage Solutions (Advantage) and Global Smollan Holdings (Smollan) that provides unified sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers across Europe. Advantage Smollan offers the industry’s best capabilities and technology along with the local knowledge to address the unique dynamics of individual markets. The company combines Advantage’s and Smollan’s best practices and resources with the extensive experience and market leadership of each portfolio company – all aligned in service excellence, thought leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit to deliver better results for clients and customers. For more information, visit www.advantagesmollan.com. For more information on Advantage, visit www.advantagesolutions.net. For more information on Smollan, visit www.smollan.com.
About Intermarketing Agency
Intermarketing is an integrated, creatively-driven and service-led agency with a focus on ROI. With 29 years of brand building expertise Intermarketing has the ability to execute campaign ideas globally across all channels, building specialist teams around client requirements to offer true collaboration and expertise in brand communications, data and CRM, digital, experiential, retail, TV and video, 3D and animation, media, partnerships, content, and social media. For additional information visit www.intermarketing.com
| Contacts | ||
| Advantage Solutions Will Minton, VP Corporate Marketing Tel: 949 797 3105 Email: will.minton@advantagesolutions.net | Smollan Monique Yaffe, Chief Marketing Officer Tel: +27 11 458 0000 Email: monique.yaffe@smollan.com | |
| Bryce-Robinson, General Counsel Tel: 949 794 2204 Email: bryce.robinson@advantagesolutions.net | Advantage Smollan Laurence Clube, COO Advantage Smollan Tel: +44 (0)118 927 1010 Email: lclube@advantagesmollan.com | |
| Intermarketing Agency Steve Sowden, Managing Partner Tel: +44 (0)113 275 3912 Email: steve.sowden@intermarketing.com Jamie Allan, Managing Partner Tel: +44 (0)113 275 3912 Email: jamie.allan@intermarketing.com |
ADVANTAGE SMOLLAN ACQUISITION OF COMBERA GROUP HAS BEEN COMPLETED
Advantage Smollan completed the acquisition of the Comber Group on 7th April which confirms their European footprint in 15 European countries and access to many more through the Combera partnership network. The global partnership now extends to six continents and more than 35 countries.