French PR group Publicis will acquire Dutch ad agency LBi for 416 million euros. LBi will join Publicis’ other digital acquisitions Digitas, Razorfish and Rosetta.

Publicis hopes that LBi will enhance its digital customer experience and improve its technology and social media offerings. Publicis CEO Maurice Lèvy told the Financial Times that the acquisition of LBi would help its position in the UK, Germany and Scandinavia.

“The acquisition of LBi is another step forward in further strengthening our digital operations.” Lévy said in a statement.

This acquisition is one of many instances this year of large companies buying up small digital firms to boost their new media focus. WPP added AKQA to its marketing menagerie for $540 million in June. The Publicis sale will increase the agency’s digital revenues to 35 per cent of its total take, making its digital shop one of the biggest in the world.