Tayburn, which specialises in creative branding and artwork and reprographics for packaging, was acquired on 26 April by Limitless Innovations Group, which effectively acts as a shell containing both Lewis and Tayburn.
David Lewis, group CEO, told Printweek that the deal – made on friendly terms – would effectively keep both agencies as separate entities.
He added that the complementary nature of the agencies’ services, with Lewis offering largely digital design and marketing services, compared to Tayburn’s more physical focus, would help the companies round out a complete service package.
Lewis said: “We have the oldest agency in Scotland, and Tayburn is just five years young. There’s massive respect between us: we’ve worked with them on projects with clients in the past, and we’ve pitched against each other too.
“I had met with Richard [Simpson, co-managing director of Tayburn]a number of times, and we realised we were like-minded people. Over the past year, we’ve grown close and saw a real synergy between their brand, our digital expertise, and how we can work together.
“Even in the past two weeks [since the deal] we’ve seen many of our clients reaching out and saying ‘This is great.’ It was a very, very friendly acquisition, and the guys [Simpson and co-MD Malcolm Stewart] will be staying on to help us build what will hopefully be a good partnership.”
Simpson said: “Throughout my time in the industry, Lewis has been one of those agencies that we always admired because of their longevity, foresight to embrace new trends and their enviable client list of major institutions and household names.
“Following initial conversations to explore the possibilities of aligning with each other, it became apparent just how similar our vision and values are. As the benefits to our colleagues and clients became clear thanks to our complimentary services and shared beliefs, the potential of our coming together is limitless.”
Stewart added: “Joining forces with Lewis will only benefit our clients and provide opportunities for our people.
“It will enhance our capabilities and allow us to better serve the increasingly complex needs of the incredible businesses we work with.”
Lewis added that he was excited to be closer to the print industry through the acquisition, joking that he and his colleagues used to make sure they took every pamphlet on display “to keep printers in business.”
“Our background was all print when we started the business. Gone are the days of sitting by the presses at two o’clock in the morning doing passes – I’m delighted that we’ll be able to work with the guys in Tayburn. I just can’t wait to get involved in the high end print stuff – I’ll be there.”
