Cavendish Leads on the Sale of The Planning Shop international to Omnicom's World-leading Healthcare Marketing Group Adelphi Worldwide

LONDON, September 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Creative Corporate Finance for the media, digital, sport and creative industries 

Cavendish Corporate Finance, the UK's leading sell-side mid-market M&A firm, has advised on the sale of The Planning Shop international, a specialist healthcare brand strategy agency, to Adelphi Worldwide, a leading pharmaceutical marketing services group, part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., one of the world's largest corporate communication groups.

The Planning Shop international, founded by Kim Hughes in 1987, specialises in producing insightful market research and tailored marketing solutions for the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector. The company's clients include an array of blue chip companies, such as Pfizer, BD Biosciences, Genzyme, Abbot International, Sanofi-Aventis and J&J.

The Planning Shop international, based in London with offices in the US and Europe, has a strong reputation and an established presence in a number of therapeutic categories across the sector, which has resulted in consistent profitability and double-digit growth in turnover over recent years.

The Planning Shop international's market research driven product innovation and expertise in specialist therapies offers unique synergies with Adelphi's experience in developing and launching pharmaceutical brands. The transaction offers both companies considerable scope for increased growth and the potential for further geographic expansion.

Cavendish, which advised The Planning Shop international on the transaction, has completed eleven deals in 2014. Its previous high-profile media deals include the sale of: Hawkeye, The Profile Group, Primal Pictures, Double Helix, World Trade Group, Opta Sports Data and The Communications Agency.

Linda Sullivan, Partner and Head of Media and Digital at Cavendish, commented:

"This is an interesting transaction showing the increasing convergence between healthcare and media. With the growth in healthcare spending internationally, and a new generation of drugs, products, services and businesses, global marketing and advertising agencies are committing more resources to this area. They are increasingly looking to bolster their capability and expertise by buying specialist agencies that have the market knowledge and insight to enhance their services and increase their competitiveness.

The M&A market in media and healthcare is very buoyant. We have completed ten deals to date this year with several in the media space and several more media deals expected to close before the year end."

For further information contact:
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