ECI buys Gresham's Investis

Ellie Pullen
08 December 2014

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ECI Partners has bought Investis, a UK digital corporate communications and investor relations company owned by Gresham Private Equity, in a deal that values the company at around ТЃ50m.

ECI will help to support the company's current acquisitive growth strategy for international expansion.

Investis has recently opened three offices in the US: in New York, San Francisco and Palm Beach in Florida. The company also recently acquired UK-based global3digital and Sweden's Alert IR.

Clydesdale Bank has provided a debt package to support the deal.

News that Gresham was looking to divest Investis emerged in October, with ECI identified as the frontrunner for the business.

Gresham is currently in wind-down mode – a process it began in June. Shortly after its announcement, the firm sold UK shower tray manufacturer Just Trays to Maven Capital Partners in a secondary management buyout.

Previous investment
Gresham acquired Investis in October 2012, taking a majority stake in the business as part of its £25m management buyout.

Current CEO Helen James took over from Justin Walters following the transaction, having worked at the company as a managing director already, according to unquote" data.

Clydesdale also supplied a debt package for Gresham's acquisition of Investis.

Prior to Gresham's investment, Investis received £2.75m from the Reuters Greenhouse Fund in 2000, with Reuters taking a minority stake in the business, according to unquote" data.

Company
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in London, Investis is a provider of digital corporate communications services and investor relations (IR).

Services on offer include IR web hosting, corporate website-building, social media, online reporting and website tools.

The company claims to have a client base of 2,000 across five countries, including 150 US customers and 70% of the FTSE 100. Clients include BMW, Chevron, GDF Suez and Rolls Royce.

People
Helen James is CEO of Investis. David Grigson, a non-executive director at Standard Life and chairman of Trinity Mirror, will remain as the company's chairman. Richard Chapman is a partner at ECI.

Advisers
Company – Clarity (Corporate finance); Osborne Clarke (Legal).