Trillium Partners is pleased to announce that it has acted as the exclusive financial adviser to WARC Limited (WARC) on the sale of the company to Ascential plc for an initial cash consideration of £19.5m (subject to a normalised working capital adjustment), plus deferred consideration of £4.5m payable in 2019. Based on a long-standing relationship with WARC’s shareholders, Trillium managed an accelerated sale to a high quality, determined buyer with clear plans to support WARC’s continued growth and development.   

WARC is a leading online subscription business that offers advertising best practice, evidence and insights from the world’s leading brands. Founded in 1985, WARC helps brands, agencies and media platforms in over 100 countries understand, measure and maximise advertising effectiveness across all channels. WARC’s clients include the world’s largest advertising and media agencies, research companies, universities and advertisers. With offices in London, Washington, D.C. and Singapore, the business employs around 90 people and reaches 1,200 customers around the world.

WARC’s primary product is an online subscription service at Warc.com. This unique professional knowledge platform contains a large collection of advertising and marketing-related case studies; thought leadership and best practice reports; benchmark data and rankings of advertising and media performance including the Gunn Report (the leading global ranking for creative effectiveness for campaigns, brands and agencies); and WARC Plus which provides a bespoke Q&A service primarily for Brands.

Trillium Partners: (1) led negotiations with the buyer; (2) co-ordinated a full due diligence process and various legal and accounting work streams; and (3) assisted in documenting the transaction.

Philip Mastriforte, Managing Director at Trillium, commented:
“We are delighted to have advised WARC on the sale of this exceptional business. We have known WARC for some years, and it has reaped the rewards of continued investment in its unique online platform. As a trusted adviser to WARC, we are pleased to secure an excellent outcome for all stakeholders in a short timeframe and believe WARC will thrive under Ascential’s ownership.”

About Trillium Partners
Trillium Partners is an independent mid-market firm that advises listed companies, private firms and financial sponsors on M&A and Private Capital raising transactions valued at £20 million to £500 million in the B2B Information Services and Events, Consumer Media, Learning and Development, and Marketing Services.

Over the last 30 years, we have advised our clients on a comprehensive array of transactions in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia, with an aggregate value in excess of £10 billion. Underpinned by deep sector knowledge and insight, our expertise extends from private acquisitions and disposals to public offers and raising capital from the private equity, family office, banking and alternative finance communities for working capital, business development, acquisitions and buy-outs.

Trillium transaction team
Philip Mastriforte (Managing Director)
Andrew Zelouf (Director)
David Leung (Associate Director)

For more information regarding this transaction, please contact Philip Mastriforte or Andrew Zelouf on +44 (0)20 3008 8375