Nordic Agency Joins Marketing Comms Group

Investment company Dacke Group Nordic AB has acquired quant fieldwork specialist Hermelin Nordic Research. Dacke specialises in acquiring and developing companies within the Nordic marketing communications industry and is listed on the Stockholm stock exchange.

Hermelin, founded by Lena Hermelin in 1991, has customers and offices throughout the Nordic countries as well as in the Baltic cities of Tallinn, Riga and Kaunas. The acquisition will more than double the size of Dacke's 'Research & Analysis' division, which includes B2B AB, Dimant, MD Nordic AB and Relevant Information.

In 2005 Dacke bought Hansen Conferences & Events and Danish ad agency Venture Communication, and this year it has already acquired the United Power advertising agency. Its turnover will now be around 430m Swedish kronor, making it one of the Nordic region's largest marketing communications companies.

Dacke CEO Urban von Euler says the buy 'creates a platform for Dacke's continued expansion in what we refer to as the 'New-Nordic' area, including the Nordic and the Baltic countries' - and adds 'valuable management skills' to the group. He adds: 'We believe the business section of 'Research & Analysis' to be an extremely expansive market with major opportunities for coordination and further industrialisation, boosting profits both for our customers and for the group of companies.'

Peter Bernström, CEO of Hermelin Nordic Research, says the move 'enables the company's safe expansion and business development. Over recent years, the volume of commissions aimed at multinational markets have been growing steadily, and now with this deal with Dacke we are prepared to take on even more major customer assignments.'

Hermelin, with around 50 staff, has a pro forma turnover for 2006 of just under 100m kronor. Its customers are MR and media agencies and consumer goods companies - they include Research International, Gallup, Add Value Research, Carat, Mediacom and OMD.

Dacke, which plans to list next year either on OMX's Nordic list or London's AIM, has four business areas: Interactive Communication, Advertising & Branding, Research & Analysis and Meetings & Events. It is online at www.dackegroup.com , while Hermelin's web site is at www.hermelin.se .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.