Merkle Continues Growth with Acquisition of Response Services Division from AB&C Group
Thursday, 04 January 2007
Merkle, one of the nation's largest database marketing agencies, announced yesterday that it has acquired the response services division of AB&C Group, a leading provider of direct response processing services. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
AB&C Group's response division will become a part of Merkle|Response, Merkle's operational division that specializes in providing direct services that include caging, data entry, and fulfillment services to organizations across the US.
According to Merkle, the acquisition enhances its ability to provide direct fulfillment services, and further strengthens the company's position as one of the nation's largest providers of database marketing services.
MerkleResponse President Bill Sayre said, "AB&C Group's response division has a solid record of success, and the services that it provides perfectly complement the services that Merkle provides every day on behalf of our clients. We are confident that the transition will be seamless, and that current AB&C Group clients will continue to receive the consistent, high-quality service that they have come to expect from AB&C Group."
Phil Wax, CFO of BlueSky Brands, the parent company of AB&C Group said, "Merkle is a successful company that is frequently recognized for the consistent, high-quality marketing and direct response services that it provides to dozens of nationally recognized clients. Our capabilities and approach are very similar, and we believe that Merkle will continue to provide an outstanding level of service for clients as it expands its operations."
According to Merkle, this latest acquisition continues the company's steady growth in both the commercial and nonprofit markets. Merkle's revenue has grown more than 25 percent each year for the past five years.
In a report issued earlier this year, Advertising Age magazine ranked Merkle number 19 on its list of "Top 100 U.S. Marketing Services Agencies" and number seven on the magazine's list of "Top 50 Marketing Services Agencies" that specialize in direct marketing. Merkle has also been cited twice as an industry leader by Forrester Research.