Last checked at 2 Sep 2021 08:15
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY ANY APPLICABLE LAW.
UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, CAPITALISED TERMS IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAVE THE MEANINGS GIVEN TO THEM IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF 15 JUNE 2021.
Access Intelligence PLC
("Access Intelligence" or the "Company")
Completion of Acquisition and Re-Admission
Access Intelligence Plc, (AIM: ACC) the technology innovator delivering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for the global marketing and communications industries, is pleased to announce that further to the announcement of 1 September 2021, it has completed the Acquisition of Isentia Group Limited and re-admission of the Enlarged Group to trading on AIM is now effective.
Highlights
- Completed acquisition of Isentia, a market leading Asia Pacific focused media intelligence and award winning insights company for the corporate communications market, headquartered in Sydney, Australia
- Isentia operates in eight geographical markets across Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia working with c.2,400 customers
- The Enlarged Group has greater scale, an improved and wider ranging product offering and greater geographic reach. With minimal overlap between the two large client bases, the Enlarged Group has significant revenue synergy opportunities through substantial cross-sell and up-sell opportunities
- The Enlarged Group anticipates approximately 90 per cent. of its revenues is recurring
- The Acquisition is expected to be earnings enhancing in the first full year following completion
Rationale for the Acquisition and strategy for the Enlarged Group
Following the Acquisition, the Enlarged Group has the potential to benefit from greater scale, a superior product offering and greater geographic reach, in addition to delivering potential cost and revenue synergies.
Isentia's market leading position in APAC is underpinned by a sales and operational infrastructure across ANZ as well as the major South East Asian economies. The Acquisition therefore aligns with a key element of Access Intelligence's strategy to continue expanding and diversifying revenues globally to complement its market leading position in Europe and growing presence in the US.
The Vuelio and Pulsar products have already been proven and successful in APAC and the Middle East, with blue-chip customers in these regions. As Isentia's current product portfolio is limited to media monitoring, entry-level social listening and manual insights, this represents significant cross-sell and up-sell opportunities for Vuelio's wider communications campaign management platform and influencer database, as well as Pulsar's advanced audience analysis and social media intelligence. Isentia recognises that its existing social offering is limited and as a result Isentia and Access Intelligence are already working together on potential opportunities to provide Access Intelligence's Pulsar offering to Isentia's existing customer base.
The Acquisition provides Access Intelligence with the opportunity to scale its sales infrastructure across eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This is an ideal platform for cross-selling opportunities of the Pulsar audience intelligence and social listening platform. APAC is the fastest growing market for social media analytics, with a projected CAGR of 33.2 per cent. between 2019 and 2024, rising from US$1.4bn to US$6bn. In contrast to consumer adoption of social in the region, the Directors believe that there is a significant opportunity to increase investment in Isentia's existing product to meet the growing sophistication of marketing communication professionals in the region.
The Enlarged Group's strategy is to seek to capitalise on its leading position as a provider of SaaS solutions for the PR, communications and marketing industries. The Board of Access Intelligence's strategic vision is to apply technology and insight to transform the relationships between business, media, government and the public through the provision of a next-generation intelligence marketplace.
The Enlarged Group will be able to offer customers a broader suite of technology products serving the traditional and social media monitoring markets with strong analytic capabilities. This will provide significant cross-selling and upselling opportunities amongst Isentia's 2,400 customers and Access Intelligence's 3,500 customers with limited cross over between them, helping to drive revenue growth.
Re-Admission and Total Voting Rights
Re-Admission and dealings in the entire issued share capital of the Enlarged Group commenced at 8.00 a.m. today.
Following Re-Admission, the total number of Ordinary Shares in issue is 130,524,386, including 2,966,666 held in treasury. Accordingly, the total number of Ordinary Shares in the Company with voting rights is 127,557,720. This figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Joanna Arnold, CEO of Access Intelligence, commented:
"I am delighted that the acquisition of Isentia is complete and look forward to delivering our broader services and capabilities to customers around the world. Having now relocated to Australia to oversee the integration on the ground, I am already excited by the potential and opportunities for our business. By integrating Isentia, a leading media intelligence company in Australia and across the Asia- Pacific region, our customers will now benefit from an offering that gives them more choice and greater geographical reach. We will continue to invest in our capabilities and drive further innovation, harnessing technology and insight, to deliver our strategic vision of building the leading intelligence provider for the global marketing and communications industry."
For further information:
Access Intelligence plc
Joanna Arnold (CEO) / Mark Fautley (CFO) 020 3426 4024
finnCap Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
Corporate Finance - Marc Milmo / Kate Bannatyne / Fergus Sullivan 020 7220 0500
Corporate Broking - Alice Lane / Sunila de Silva
About Access Intelligence
Access Intelligence PLC is an AIM-listed martech leader, helping marketers and communicators anticipate, react and adapt to what's important to customers, stakeholders and their brand as they navigate a constantly changing world of influence and reputation online. Its technology is used by 6,000 global organisations every day, from blue-chip enterprises and communications agencies to public sector organisations and not-for-profits.