Creative digital marketing agency Knapton Wright has acquired brand specialist Bazzoo.
The move sees the Brigg-based firm welcome more than 100 new clients, with founder of the Newark operation, James Fountain, stepping back after a decade of delivery.
He will join Knapton Wright in a consultancy role, aiding the transition, with the company taking on a new digital marketing apprentice to support the uplift. Three employees decided against making the 40 mile move north, following the undisclosed deal.
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Knapton Wright and Bazzoo have worked together on a number of projects for clients over the past eight years, “setting the businesses up perfectly for more permanent collaboration,” Knapton Wright founder Alex Wright said. Previously part of Facebook’s global sales and marketing team based in London, he moved to Lincolnshire almost a decade ago to launch the business with wife Louise. He told how they initially bonded over having wives dedicated to the world of agriculture.
He said: “As the years went by, longer-term collaborations saw Bazzoo and ourselves develop a stronger bond. So, when Bazzoo founder James Fountain mentioned he was keen to step back from running his business, whilst remaining in the industry, and saw us as the ideal team to take on his much-loved brand and client base, it was a no-brainer.
“For the last three years, we’ve been looking to grow the agency by acquiring the right business or businesses - it’s a conversation we’re always open to - but we hadn’t thought to approach James. James and the team have created some incredibly successful and
innovative marketing campaigns for clients over the past 20 years, their approach of pulling on the thread of what is possible matched ours like-for-like.”
Knapton Wright’s technical marketing expertise dovetailed well with Bazzoo’s design and print focus, offering current clients from each business - as well as new clients - additional opportunities, he added.
The deal was supported by Alex Douglas at RNS Chartered Accountants and Chris O’Connor, long-time legal advisor of Knapton Wright.
The company, which has just undergone a rebrand - working with Number 75 Design of Lincoln as it looks to highlight its sustainability credentials - is also on the move, with a "shiny new office" looming ahead of Christmas. Having launched at Sparkhouse, University of Lincoln's business incubation spece, it has been located in Market Place, Brigg, since 2016.
