Hardie Grant acquires Reload Group
Hardie Grant has acquired the Reload Group, a digital marketing agency, as the publisher expands its digital and performance marketing offering to clients.
Reload, acquired for an undisclosed sum, will be part of the team driving the company’s recently announced HGX venture studio division. Reload will become the fourth agency in Hardie Grant Media’s marketing network, already consisting of Heads & Tales content agency, tide.pr, and Sherpa, a video production company.
Nick Hardie-Grant, group m.d. of Hardie Grant Media said: “We’ve worked closely with Reload for a few years now, as a partner and a client, and have a lot of respect for the team and the business. Solidifying this partnership is extremely exciting for us and will give our clients much easier access to a huge range of digital and performance marketing skills, as well as inject market-leading experience into our broader business.”
Founded in 2006 and led by m.d. Craig Somerville, Reload has 85 staff in Brisbane, London and Manila. Its revenue for the last financial year topped $12.6m (£9.7m), with clients including Wrangler, Victoria Beckham, Philip Kingsley, Emma Bridgewater and L’Occitane.
“This partnership made a lot of sense for us," Somerville said. "Our cultures are aligned, and we have a complementary offering that will benefit clients on both sides greatly. Getting that fit right was incredibly important to us and we’re excited about continuing our growth trajectory as part of Hardie Grant.”
The deal was completed on 31st March, coinciding with the retirement of Reload founder Llew Jury, who has been a non-executive director since 2016.
Reload will continue under Somerville’s leadership, supported by Alex Gannon, m.d. of Reload Media, Marnie Whitten, general manager of growth and development, and Adam Clarke, general manager of Reload Digital.
