Acquisitions of communications agencies are not unusual, in fact, they have become commonplace as companies like WPP and Omnicom have absorbed many leading small and midsize agencies.

This week a relatively new player on the British comms scene, MWW Group, has acquired boutique firm Parys Communications. Not unusually, the move is part of a wider internationally focused strategy. However, MWW’s outlook on the value of local comms entrepreneurs has informed its expansion plans.

“Being local means you understand your market and our market has always been to find people like that. Our goal is to be one of the largest midsize agencies in London. We’ll continue to reinvest in Parys and give them the resources to grow,” MWW Group CEO Michael Kempner says.

Kempner and the rest of the management team at MWW recently bought out shareholder Interpublic Group and launched an expansion plan. The establishment of a London office not only allows the organisation to offer its clients a international services, but will give the UK headquarters the ability to manage future outposts into Europe and Asia.

The acquisition of Parys went beyond surface level, says Kempner, “Establishing a strong firm here in London allows us to expand throughout Europe and frankly, throughout the world. In Parys Communications we found an agency with a culture and values similar to our own. In many ways they’re a perfect fit for the practice areas that we have in the United States today. We didn’t come here to reinvent Parys, we came here to help them grow and become a more dominant firm in the marketplace.”

UK MD of MWW and co-founder of Parys, Patrick Herridge adds, “Joining MWW is an exciting step for our agency and key to our future growth.  We will immediately be able to offer our existing clients and prospects a wider range of services in the UK as well as support in the US. We will also be helping MWW’s existing clients break into the UK market.”