Emakina Integrates Leading Austrian Agency diamond:dogs, Strengthening its DACH Position

BRUSSELS, September 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Emakina Group takes a 100% stake in the capital of diamond:dogs|group. With this step Emakina strengthens its position in the DACH-countries and its leading role among European independent full-service digital agencies. The 80 diamond:dogs experts in Vienna, Salzburg and Zurich, specialised in online, mobile and social integral solutions, join Emakina, to focus on the Central European market. CEO Gerhard Handler leads the new Emakina agency, together with COO Nathalie Kohn, CTO Rainer Friedl, CCO Chris Budgen, and CFO Christian Handler.

With offices in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Turkey and international partnerships, Emakina serves customers worldwide. The integration of diamond:dogs reinforces its strategic and operational digital transformation experience in B2B and B2C support.

This acquisition represents a first payment of maximum EUR 3.1 million in cash out of which EUR 0.8 million is executed now, and the remaining amount will be executed in May 2016, based on the 2015 performance recorded by diamond:dogs|group. Three additional annual payments will be executed based on the performance recorded until 2018. These future payments will be payable partly in shares, and partly in cash (partly financed through financial long-term loans).

In 2014, the annual turnover of diamond:dogs|group amounts to EUR 6.5 million. This acquisition should have a positive financial impact on the consolidated EBITDA (operating result before depreciation) of Emakina from the last quarter of 2015.

Karim Chouikri, CEO Emakina: "Emakina warmly welcomes diamond:dogs into the family. Their market leadership as a one-stop-shop for the whole digital value chain will greatly contribute toward expanding our product offerings in the DACH region."

Brice Le Blévennec, co-CEO Emakina: "We share a clear vision on digital transformation with Gerhard and his team. Their reputation as a highly trustworthy and dynamic agency, with a broad focus on integral solutions fits perfectly with Emakina's DNA."

Gerhard Handler: "Emakina's high-level communication experts and its global reach boost our power in cutting edge digital transformation and communications, and the market position of our team and clients in a long term perspective."

The Emakina Group (Alternext - Euronext Brussels (ALEMK - ISIN: BE0003843605) is an independent European group of cutting edge communication agencies with over 670 experts and offices in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Turkey, recording annual sales of €56,1m in 2014.

PR contact
Luc Malcorps
+32(0)27887973
lma@emakina.com