Liverpool ecommerce specialist, Velstar, has acquired Chester marketing agency, We Influence for an undisclosed sum.
The 2 companies have a combined turnover of £4m, with ambitions to reach £6m by 2024.
Velstar’s move has been supported by Liverpool fund manager, River Capital, with a “significant investment” from its Business Growth Loan fund.
“Both Velstar and We Influence have been active in the eCommerce space for years now. We have great admiration for one another’s work, and it was clear we shared similar ambitions, as well as the same people-focused approach. So it was an obvious decision to team up and combine our efforts,” explained Daniel Sheard, CEO of Velstar.
“This acquisition, made possible with support from the River Capital Business Growth Loan Fund, strengthens our offering within the Shopify ecosystem by deepening our marketing services to give our clients access to a team of digital growth experts at every stage of their eCommerce journey, all in one place.”
The We Influence team will work out of Velstar’s Liverpool city centre HQ, with Sheard remaining CEO of the 50-strong team. We Influence’s Graham Withe will become Managing Director, Marketing at Velstar.
“What Velstar has achieved over the past couple of years has been impressive. Their skills, experience and services perfectly complement our own, and we’re all really excited about becoming part of their talented team,” added Withe.
“We recognise that online retailers’ growth and success are best achieved with a collaborative approach, leveraging different technologies and services. The acquisition will enable us to provide our clients with a deeper level of technical support, as well as a larger-scale in-house marketing capability. For our team, it will provide them with an opportunity to develop their skill sets further and fully immerse themselves in the eCommerce industry like never before, building relationships with third-party technology providers and industry leaders.”
