Y&R acquires design agency The Partners

Young & Rubicam has bought independent corporate design specialist The Partners, the agency behind the design of Richard Branson’s People’s Lottery.

Y&R, which was itself bought by WPP Group last month in a &£2.89bn deal, already owns design group Landor. Last month’s deal brought Landor into the same fold as its long-time rival Enterprise IG.

It is understood that The Partners will not be merged with either agency but will retain a separate identity.

The agency, which was set up in 1983, has been the subject of takeover speculation for some months, as big marketing services conglomerates continue to acquire smaller design players.

The group specialises in high margin corporate identity work, and is one of the top five corporate ID consultancies in the world, according to Design Week’s latest top 100 agencies league table. City analysts value the company at over &£10m.