Interfocus buys Grange Advertising

Interfocus has acquired Grange Advertising, the fourth largest business-to-business marketing agency in the UK.

Grange, which has offices in the UK and Los Angeles and billings of about &£10m, will be rebranded as Interfocus Technology. Its clients are mainly in the technology sector and include NEC and Panasonic on a pan-European and global basis.

Grange’s UK staff will be moved to the Interfocus offices in London, but will keep its LA agency. Grange managing director Chris Zandonati will head the rebranded agency.

Interfocus chairman Matthew Hooper would not disclose the purchase price, but says: “With the formation of Interfocus Technology [Grange Advertising] we have found a partner that brings integrated skills to a specialist sector.”

Last year, Hooper sold a 60 per cent stake in Interfocus to Canadian group Maxxcom.

Interfocus has also appointed Tequila London managing partner Matt Atkinson as its chief executive. He joins next month and will report to chairman Matthew Hooper.

Atkinson was a senior board director at Tequila Asia-Pacific for five years, establishing a start-up network between Singapore and Hong Kong. He has worked with brands such as IBM, Seagram and Mercedes Benz.

Atkinson came back to Tequila London in June this year as a managing partner.