The Involve Marketing Partnership has shut up shop, with the sell-off of the last three firms in the group – DMS, United and Millennium ADMP – bringing the curtain down on the business first launched in the mid-Nineties.
Mosaic Print Management has bought both DMS and United, with over-50s specialist Millennium – which operates Mortascreen – being acquired by an affiliated group.
The move follows the demise of sister shops The Involve Agency (formerly JDA) and Whitewater, and flies in the face of chairman Martin Smith’s claims that their closure would have “no impact” on the other businesses and agencies in the group. Smith has now said the group will no longer trade.
DMS and United have been bought by Mosaic founders Tony Gill and Steve Smith ‘without bank intervention’. Launched in 2003, the acquisition boosts Mosaic’s headcount to over 100 people.
Chief executive Gill explained: “We are entrepreneurs at heart and enjoy the challenge of building and leading teams of talented people to drive growth through strong thinking, creativity and customer. We are in this for the long term and look forward to making the agencies an even greater success.”
Elly Woolston, the former Proximity chief who set up United as founding partner last year, added: “As someone who has built my own business from scratch in the past, I resonate with the new owners’ ethos and sentiment. Both are passionate entrepreneurs with the business acumen to help make DMS and United an even bigger success.”
Meanwhile Millennium, the original agency in the group set up by Martin Smith in 1996, has also been sold.
Wilmington, a professional information and training group, bought the business and certain assets of Millennium for £465,000. The group already has links with Millennium, through subsidiary Smee & Ford, from which it licenses the Mortascreen deceased file.
Mortascreen product development director Karen Pritchard (pictured) said: “We don’t foresee any change, other than in a very positive way. We are still delighted to be part of Wilmington Group who have been the owners of Mortascreen for many years. Having the backing of a PLC organisation will ensure continued investment in, and development of, Mortascreen. We’d like to assure our clients that it is very much business as usual, and of our best and continued attention at all times.”
Related stories
Valldata acquires charity tribute site
RSPCA review to replace Whitewater
Whitewater and Involve Agency fold
