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Accenture announced today that is has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire Altima, an agency network based in France that specializes in customer experience design.
This news marks the 17th such acquisition for Accenture over the past five years; this summer, the company’s Interactive division bought both design agency Wire Stone and San Francisco firm Matter.
The financial terms of this week’s deal have not been disclosed, though one global industry analyst estimated the total to be in the nine figures. According to the release, the two parties are still negotiating specifics of their agreement, which will be subject to “customary closing conditions.”
The 20-year-old Altima currently employs between 350 and 370 people across its offices in Paris, Roubaix, Lyon, Montreal, New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The company specializes in designing ecommerce, mobile and in-store customer experiences and related strategies.
According to Olivier Gauthier, founder and principal at Paris-based consultancy COMvergence, Altima has won several major pieces of business over the past two years including L’Oréal Luxe / YSL Beauty, telecom giant Orange Business Services, Sephora, Guerlain and Monte Carlo Hotels.
A key selling point lies in the new network’s ability to help existing Accenture Interactive clients expand into new markets, namely France, China and Canada.
“France is home to many of the world’s most exciting and successful brands,” said Christian Nibourel, country managing director for Accenture in France and Benelux. “At the same time, it’s a market where many international brands are trying to gain market share. The acquisition of Altima would put Accenture Interactive in France in an excellent position to help businesses innovate the digital experiences and expand their footprint, locally and internationally.”
“Altima and Accenture Interactive share the same culture of innovation and passion for designing the future of commerce,” said Altima CEO Arnaud Monnier, adding, “We are excited to join forces with the world’s largest digital network. The global scale of Accenture Interactive would provide a unique opportunity for us to bring our work for clients to a new level, and offer new career opportunities to our people.”
COMvergence estimates the Altima network’s 2016 revenues to be 27 million euros, or approximately $31 million.
