Tag Archives: merger

Business, Cardiff, Mergers, Mergers & Acquisitions

Two south Wales storage businesses announce merger to drive growth and funding opportunities

CARDIFF based blue self storage Ltd (bss) and Maltings Document Storage Solutions (MDSS) have announced their merger to create a new entity branded as ‘Blue Storage Group’, while continuing to operate under the existing brands.

 

While both companies operate profitably and sustainably, the markets in which they operate are changing rapidly with the emergence of new digital technologies. Becoming a larger entity will allow greater investment in new systems and processes, and both companies to take advantage of new funding opportunities, grow operations and scale up geographically.

 

blue self storage is one of the leading container storage providers in the UK, providing storage services for homes, business, vehicles, and removal companies. The fast-growing company has facilities across the UK in Cardiff, Tyneside, Bridgend and a soon-to-be-launched Gloucester site.

 

Maltings Document Storage Solutions, based in Cardiff, provides reliable document storage and management solutions. MDSS has over 40 years’ experience providing its bespoke services in Cardiff and surrounding areas, with aspirations to expand further into England in the near future.

 

Chris Bryan, Managing Director of blue self storage, will assume responsibility for the strategic direction of the overarching entity that includes both companies, and Dean Daly will continue as Operations Director at blue self storage. Gareth Oram will also continue as a non-executive director of MDSS, with the day-to-day operations being steered by Commercial Director, Chris James.

 

Chris Bryan said “This merger will enable us to improve our current offerings, expand our services, and deliver better value to all our customers. While both businesses offer storage solutions to different industries, the infrastructure that’s required for both offerings are very similar.

 

“We have ambitious plans for Blue Storage Group; building on the recent opening of our Bridgend operation, we are currently finalising our plans to open a facility at Gloucester and have several other sites in the pipeline”

 

Gareth Oram added: “The merger represents a strategic move towards greater growth and efficiency. We believe that we will be better positioned to pursue opportunities and continue our aim to be one of the key innovators in what is a very competitive sector. Striving towards innovation, we have invested in the latest digital software and technology so that we can focus on consistent, high-quality service for all our customers, large or small.”

News

Northwest agencies, Trunk and Big Brand Ideas merge to form a creative and activation powerhouse

Northwest agencies, Trunk and Big Brand Ideas have merged, creating one of the region’s most exciting integrated agencies. The change brings together Trunk’s creative flair with BBI’s performance marketing expertise.

The 75-strong agency will be called TrunkBBI, with a powerful philosophy to ‘Create + Activate’. Founder & MD of Big Brand Ideas, Jon Butler, moves into the role of CEO to oversee the long-term vision of the agency.

Creative Director & MD of Trunk, Adam Britton, becomes TrunkBBI’s MD, where he will drive operational efficiencies, company culture, and the agency’s ‘Create + Activate’ proposition.

Jon and Adam’s experience brings together the right mix of creative prowess and brand success, having worked successfully over the last 7 years together.

Jon Butler, CEO of TrunkBBI said, “The merger is the beginning of a new chapter in our history. Our approach is simple. We are bringing the agencies together to connect award-winning creatives with performance professionals. We call this ‘Create + Activate.’

“Our integrated approach allows us to do more under one roof, creating an efficient way of working for our clients with one team of experts working across all disciplines to deliver results. We believe that excellence occurs when creative and performance marketeers work together with the same insights and strategy.”

Under its new name, TrunkBBI will offer a full range of services in-house, spanning film, animation, and creative technology, to strategy and insight, organic and paid social, influencer activation, SEO, paid search, PR, copywriting, and user experience.

Over the years, both agencies have achieved remarkable success with numerous award wins at some of the most prestigious and coveted ceremonies, independently.

But the most recent award wins were together at the 2022 European Content Awards which saw Trunk and Big Brand Ideas’ collaborative campaign work win gold for Social Media Content of the Year, gold for Best Content Strategy, and silver for Best B2C Campaign for their campaign with Greene King, ‘If you can’t be there, be here – Euros Edition.’

Adam Britton, MD of TrunkBBI said, “Trunk and Big Brand Ideas have always worked closely together but merging Trunk’s creative talent with Big Brand Ideas’ performance and activation expertise will help us create a single, world class, creative and activation agency that offers a unique proposition.

“Our last financial year saw a combined turnover of £4.75m, and we have ambitions to grow our turnover to £8.1m within the next 18 months. We have set our ambitions high, and this will only happen by creating an environment that inspires our people to be the best version of themselves, allowing them to always go for great.”

 TrunkBBI currently has offices in Manchester and Cheshire but will be announcing exciting expansion plans soon.

For more information and employment opportunities, visit www.trunkbbi.com

 

 

 

Mergers & Acquisitions, News

Avolve Software to merge with DigEplan, Creating Market Leader in Electronic Plan Review Software

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, March 28, 2022 – Leading electronic plan review companies Avolve Software and DigEplan will merge, the companies announced Monday. The combined entity, operating under the Avolve Software brand, will draw upon extensive experience and an expanded product suite to become the global leader in electronic plan review. As part of the transaction, a strategic investment was provided by Polaris Growth Fund.

Avolve and DigEplan provide cities, counties, and other municipalities innovative software to manage their plan review processes as part of their permitting procedures. Each company offers a unique solution for digital, end-to-end plan review management, dramatically improving efficiency and creating a vastly better applicant experience compared to paper and legacy software.

Since its founding in 2008, Avolve has delivered industry-leading software with its ProjectDox platform, which automates the manual, paper-intensive, and frequently inefficient building plan review process. Together, Avolve and DigEplan will offer solutions for every city, county, and state, from small towns to large metropolitan areas, across a global market.

“The merger of Avolve and DigEplan, backed by Polaris’ resources and expertise, creates a superior market position for Avolve Software. Avolve and DigEplan have distinct and complementary strengths that will enable us to serve this entire market. Together, we will dramatically increase our reach and the value we deliver to our customers and business partners,” said Gary Heath, CEO of Avolve Software, who will assume the role of CEO at the combined company.

“This is not only an exciting time for Avolve and DigEplan’s customers, employees, and partners, but also for the plan review market as a whole. This merger reflects strong category growth and the need for solutions to modernize processes that are critical for community economic development. The combination of these two brands will enable us to deliver an unmatched product offering to address those needs,” added Gary.

Founded in 2011, DigEplan was created to address the limitations of paper-based reviews and the lack of integrated digital solutions to efficiently view, review, and approve permitting plans and documents.

“In joining forces with Avolve, we will continue to provide innovative solutions to help cities, counties, and municipalities to deliver efficient electronic plan review,” said Jason Matthews, CEO of DigEplan. “Our talented team remains focused on building integrated partnerships with permitting platforms. Outstanding customer service and category-leading electronic plan review solutions have always been at the heart of DigEplan, which is mirrored by the Avolve team, creating a company with strong, unrivaled expertise to enable customers to modernize and streamline permitting services.” Matthews will assume an executive role at Avolve Software, overseeing its international business.

Serving more than 250 jurisdictions in five countries, Avolve will continue to support and invest in the existing software platforms offered by the merged companies. Additionally, this transaction will unlock significant resources and efficiencies to strengthen the company’s ability to serve current customers, accelerate its reach to new customers, and expand the depth and breadth of its relationships with permitting software vendors and professional services providers.