Dods acquires to boost digital services

Political intelligence and training business Dods has agreed to buy the business and certain assets of the DeHavilland Political Intelligence division of Emap Limited.


Political intelligence and training business Dods has agreed to buy the business and certain assets of the DeHavilland Political Intelligence division of Emap Limited.

Political intelligence and training business Dods has agreed to buy the business and certain assets of the DeHavilland Political Intelligence division of Emap Limited.
 
The deal, worth a total of £12.8 million, is said by AIM-listed Dods to provide ‘significant identifiable synergies’ as well as good cross-selling opportunities.
 
According to a statement the deal is being financed through the placing of two million new ordinary shares at a price of 5.5 pence each. The acquisition represents a reverse takeover.
 
The transaction has come about through Dods’ strategy to boost its political intelligence offering in the digital space, and follows a previous deal for PoliticsHome in July 2011, which was made for a deferred payment of up to £2 million.
 
Gerry Murray, chief executive officer at Dods, comments: ‘The acquisition is an excellent fit with our strategic development in digital information, further growing our digital subscriptions business.
 
‘DeHavilland comes with a high reputation for customer service and quality of information and will provide an ideal enhancement to our existing portfolio.’
 
Murray adds that the integration of the business into Dods’ Monitoring will provide service improvements for the combined businesses’ clients.
 
Dods is aiming to raise £11 million through the placing, with over one million shares already subscribed to a single investor.

Hunter Ruthven

Hunter Ruthven

Hunter was the Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2012 to 2014, before moving on to Caspian Media Ltd to be Editor of Real Business.

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