[PRESS OFFICE] The Provantage Media Group has acquired a controlling interest in end-to-end retail specialist business H&A in what CEO and founder Jacques du Preez said is a move to be the leading marketing services company in Africa.
“Our intention is to capitalise on both companies’ continued growth trajectories and expand our market reach, whilst simultaneously leveraging our unique capabilities to enhance our client offerings. Our companies are aligned in our mission to be the leading marketing services company on the African continent and we are excited to harness the PMG footprint to geographically expand H&A offerings and continue to provide best-in-class services to clients,” Du Preez said in a press release.
Chairman of the PMG board, Tshegofatso Sefolo, added that, “the opportunity to expand on our investment and achieving sustained value creation on both sides was a decisive factor in the acquisition, as it allows for portfolio diversification, accelerated growth and profitability returns, now and in future”.
The two companies operate within the same sector, but at different ends of the same value chain. The merger will give rise to multiple synergies, making it a solid strategic alliance. Du Preez noted that H&A brought several critical skillsets to PMG’s widening scope of services and innovation. Most notably their in-store product design expertise, which will add to PMG’s offering in several areas from concept, design and infrastructure integration of innovative out of home structures.
As retail specialists, H&A take products to market for corporate clients within the retail sector in an end-to-end process that spans conceptualising the brief; designing, engineering, and manufacturing products all the way through to the distribution and installation in store. Longstanding members of Point of Purchase Association International, now known as Shop Global, H&A have won scores of awards for their permanent and temporary structures, twice claiming the award for Global Best.
Two PMG directors, Du Preez and Johan Scholtz, will join H&A founders and managing directors, Chris Hewitt and Tim Edmunds on the H&A board. The founding team will continue to lead and drive the H&A business in the next phase of growth and expansion.
“We are excited to be a part of the growing PMG team, as H&A is now positioned to add more value to our longstanding clients by introducing them to the vast range of PMG’s offerings across multiple media formats and marketing services offerings,” said Hewitt.
“We are tapping into all the possibilities our merger offers to not only transform, but disrupt the marketing services industry in South Africa and African markets, through strategic innovations and R&D. This is an exciting combination of capabilities and strategic assets, their strengths and ours, which can only level up our company in a meaningful, industry-changing way,” Edmunds added.
Along with challenging and pushing the boundaries in terms of design, production and merchandising, the merger also forms part of the PMG vision in playing its part in transforming the media and marketing services industry. Hewitt and Edmunds note that as PMG is a black-owned entity, clients will benefit from H&A’s improved BEE profile.
