G2 Takes Majority Stake in Indian Shop

BOSTON G2 Worldwide said it has taken a majority stake in Chateux Hospitality, a leading activation and relationship marketing firm in India (that also does business under the Rams brand name).

Founded in 1998, Chateux employs 150 staffers and is based in Gurgoan, with offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. Clients include American Express, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, AIG, Nestle, Eli Lilly, Hewlett-Packard and Honda. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. G2 is a unit of WPP Group’s Grey.

Like many players in the digital marketing space, G2 has been trying to advance its global profile of late. Last year, G2 acquired U.S. creative i-shop Refinery and Chinese marketing firm Star Echo.

Joe Celia, chairman and CEO of G2, said in a statement, “We are committed to deepening G2’s position as a global activation communications leader, and we are making progress with both our acquisitions and client growth in this area. Continued growth will remain a priority for us this year as our capabilities broaden in the critical Asia-Pacific region and beyond.”

Sameer Karan Mutreja, co-founder and managing director of Chateux, added: “With G2’s strength, Rams’ relationships will be able to offer a series of BTL services ranging from events, loyalty solutions and retail marketing to many more clients across the globe.”

India has become a key growth area for shops of late. Last week, Publicis Groupe expanded its Digitas network in the region, rebranding Solutions — its marketing arm in India and Singapore — as Solutions/Digitas.