Customer data analysis firm acquired at 3.3x gross profit

Edit, a Bath-based data analytics firm, has been acquired by marketing services provider Salocin Group from Kin + Carta for £14.8 million. The fee is around a 3.3x multiple of Edit’s £4.4 million gross profit for the 12 months to July 31 2020, a year in which it reported a £3.7 million post-tax loss on turnover of £19.5 million.

The deal was financed by investment from private equity outfit NVM and is intended as the first in a series of acquisitions by Salocin Group, the newly-formed acquisition vehicle of marketing director Nick Dixon. Salocin Group is planning to grow acquisitively into a data-enabled marketing services group, with specialisations in analytics, media optimisation, content, marketing technology and CRM.

With locations in Bath and London, Edit provides customer data analysis for a wide range of large global firms, including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), British Heart Foundation and Shell. It works across an array of sectors, from automotive, retail and financial services to not-for-profit.

The company has a 120+ strong staff made up of technology strategists, data scientists, engineers and planners with extensive experience in business marketing, campaign management and data analysis. Following the acquisition, Edit will continue to work alongside Kin + Carta, largely for Microsoft, the latter’s key strategic partner.

Salocin Group Executive Chairman Nick Dixon said: “I have kept tabs on Edit from afar for several years, their clear strategic focus on maximising the value of 1st-party data, and their innovative award-winning campaigns for a wide selection of blue-chip clients covering different sectors, for both b2c and b2b, demonstrates their class-leading credentials. I look forward to contributing to the next phase of their growth.”

Edit’s joint Managing Directors Rob McGowan and Jeremy Fisher, who will join the Salocin Group leadership team as part of the deal, commented: “Edit received interest from a number of buyers, but as soon as we met Nick and NVM, we knew they would be the perfect fit to take the business forward. Nick’s industry expertise combined with a real understanding of the processes and procedures needed to accelerate growth demonstrated a strong fit for our ambitious growth plans.”

Also joining Salocin Group's leadership post-acquisition will be NVM investment partners Charlie Pidgeon and Peter Hodson. Hodson said: We are delighted to be backing Nick and the team at Edit to build on what is already a fantastic business. Edit is one of a very small number of companies that are able to bridge the worlds of data and marketing. Their strong heritage in 1st party data and loyal customer base set them apart from their peers.”

“We are excited to be supporting Nick, Jeremy, Rob and Stuart and confident that under their leadership the business will achieve considerable growth over the coming years.”


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