Premier acquires The Cornershop PR Scotland for undisclosed sum

Entertainment, arts and culture agency Premier has bought Edinburgh-based agency The Corner Shop PR Scotland from its founder and m.d. Susie Gray.

The financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. It follows on from the opening of Premier’s Manchester office earlier in the year and will see The Corner Shop Scotland integrate with Premier’s teams in London and Manchester. The Edinburgh office will continue to be led by Gray who joins Premier’s executive board. The subsidiary will be renamed Premier Scotland.

John Reiss, founder and chairman of Premier, said: “We welcome Susie and her talented team to the Premier fold. We have collaborated in the past and share professional ways of working and business ethics and values. Together we are stronger and able to supply an enhanced service to our Scottish, UK and international clients across entertainment, arts and culture."

Gray said: “We are delighted to be joining the brilliant team at Premier. Through our recent collaborations we already know that not only do we share a passion and creativity when it comes to campaigns, but that together we can offer a broader and richer range of services, expertise and experience to our clients.

“We look forward to combining our energies in supporting the culture and entertainment sectors across Scotland, the UK and internationally.”

Both Premier and The Corner Shop have a range of clients across the performing and visual arts, in filmed entertainment, classical and modern music, gaming, sports, placemaking, destinations and tourism, festivals and awards.

The companies’ combined offering includes communications strategy, press management, social media, crisis management, marketing, events, stunts and experiential, brand partnerships and creative services.

Premier was founded in 2001 and is owned by its senior management. It has 165 employees and between 2022 and 2023 billed £28m, clients include The Booker Prize and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Founded in Edinburgh in 2015, The Corner Shop is Scotland’s leading arts PR agency and regularly promotes events, festivals, exhibitions, tours and openings both within Scotland and across the UK and internationally.