Dentsu Aegis buys mobile agency Fetch for an estimated £30m

Dentsu Aegis Network has reached an agreement with the principal shareholders of mobile agency Fetch to acquire an 80% stake in the company – estimated to be worth £30 million.

Considered high-growth, Fetch has won acclaim for its expertise in advertising planning proposals that utilise mobile media and the buying of advertising space in particular.

The business was founded in 2009 by James Connelly and Declan Reddington and currently employs 96 people delivering mobile strategy, media, creative and analytics services to a wide range of clients in over 90 countries.

Co-founder and CEO James Connelly will continue to lead the business with support from his existing management team, including the recently appointed COO – and Newsline regular – Greg Grimmer.

Fetch will report to Robert Horler, chief executive officer of Northern Europe, Dentsu Aegis Network, who takes on responsibility for overseeing the continued global development of Fetch at Dentsu Aegis Network.

The mobile market continues to see high growth, Fetch has won a number of industry awards, including ‘Best Marketing Agency’ in the Mobile Entertainment Awards for three consecutive years.

In a statement, Dentsu said an option is in place that could allow it to take a 100% stake in Fetch at a later date. It added that consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015 are expected to be “minimal”.