Havas Group Bolsters CS capabilities with Acquisition of Leading UK Digital Experience Agency, Inviqa
Substantial, eight-figure deal will see the experience design, ecommerce and technology specialist integrated into the burgeoning Havas CX network
Havas Group has today announced the acquisition of Inviqa – one of the UK’s leading independent digital experience agencies – in a substantial, eight-figure deal. The company, which comprises more than 150 employees across eight offices, will be integrated into Havas Creative’s dedicated customer experience network, Havas CX, to significantly expand its specialism, scale, and capabilities in experience design, software engineering, technology consulting, and ecommerce.
As part of Havas CX, Inviqa will merge with Havas’ existing UK-based digital experience agency, ekino London. The combined company, which will be headquartered out of Havas’ UK Village in London’s King’s Cross, will retain the Inviqa brand and be led by Inviqa founder and CEO Yair Spitzer. ekino will continue to operate as a standalone brand within Havas CX in non-UK markets including France, New York, Singapore and Vietnam.
Over a number of years, our acquisition strategy has focussed on cutting-edge, best-in-class agencies within the digital customer experience space – and Inviqa certainly fits that bill. As the world begins to transition out of the pandemic, customer experience continues to represent one of our biggest growth opportunities – as demonstrated by the success of the Havas CX network, which has grown by two-thirds since its launch in 2020. Inviqa will help us unlock even more cross-discipline opportunities, and I’m excited to welcome Yair and the team to the Havas family.
Yannick Bolloré
Chairman and CEO of Havas Group
Inviqa will complete a triumvirate of scaled, specialist CX agencies in the UK, with its digital experience prowess complementing digital and business transformation consultancy Gate One (which was acquired in 2019 and posted 75% growth in 2021) and customer engagement agency Havas CX helia (which increased both revenue and headcount by more than 20% in 2021).
The multi-award-wining agency crafts digital products and platforms that help organisations meet their customer needs and accelerate their business growth. Embedded within client teams, Inviqa’s consultants, designers, and developers are focused on helping organisations achieve the best possible business and customer outcomes – using principled product thinking, modern delivery methods, and scalable platforms and architectures.
Inviqa’s UK clients include Tesco, Reiss, Phoenix Healthcare, and Arsenal FC – and its German portfolio includes the likes of METRO, Teufel, and toom Baumarkt. Its partners comprise best-in-class technology providers including Acquia, Akeneo, Spryker, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce Cloud, and commercetools.
The opportunity to substantially scale our experience design, technology and ecommerce capabilities in one of our key CX hubs was too good to turn down. With the addition of Inviqa, we now boast three market-leading CX agencies, spanning consultancy and brand strategy, experience design and customer engagement, that can go toe-to-toe with anyone. Their experience and approach will also help unlock conversations with brand CTOs and CIOs as well as CMOs, presenting significant opportunities to cross-sell and for increased integration.
Chris Hirst
Global CEO, Havas Creative
We’re truly delighted to join the Havas family. The move follows a very rigorous process to find the right strategic partner to support our goals, expand our reach, and deliver even more value to our clients and their customers. We received several interesting offers, but were impressed above all by the quality of Havas’ people, its entrepreneurial spirit, and the synergy across the group’s ‘Village’ model.With its emphasis on making a meaningful difference to brands, businesses, and people, Havas’ mission is closely aligned with our focus on inclusive and purposeful digital products that drive the best customer and business outcomes. We’re really excited to bring together our deep expertise in digital experience and to collaborate with specialists across other complementary disciplines.
Yair Spitzer
Co-founder and CEO of Inviqa
Founded by Spitzer and Paul Wander in 2007, Inviqa has since expanded into eight locations in the UK and Central Europe, including Germany. The majority of its staff, based at its London HQ, will move into Havas’ King’s Cross Village. Its locations in other parts of the UK, including Leeds and Liverpool, will remain the same. European offices, such as those in Berlin and Munich, will collaborate with local Havas Creative agencies.
Havas CX was launched in October 2020 to deliver meaningful customer experiences across the entire customer journey. It now comprises almost 2000 people from more than 20 of Havas Creative’s global agency groups and local agencies, plus additional CX specialists from across the Havas network, under a common structure, governance, methodology and mission. It spans 26 major Havas Villages around the world, with key hubs in London, Paris, New York and Mumbai.
For more information, contact:
Lorella Gessa
Chief Communications Officer, Havas Group
About Inviqa
Inviqa is a team of 150+ consultants, designers, developers, and more, based out of Europe.
We shape the digital products, teams, processes, and software systems our clients need to meet diverse customer needs and accelerate their business growth.
Our work with the likes of Tesco, Arsenal FC, and REISS is recognised at The Webby Awards, UXUK Awards, and The Drum DADI Awards.
We want a world that’s crafted by diverse people for diverse people – and ensures great experiences for everyone.
Together with our clients, we craft inclusive and purposeful digital products that drive the best customer and business outcomes.
About Havas Group
Havas is one of the world’s largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 22,000 people in more than 100 countries and operates through its three business units covering all communication activities. Havas Group’s mission is to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and people. To better anticipate client needs, Havas has adopted a fully integrated model through its 60+ Havas Villages around the world. In these Villages, creative, media and healthcare & wellness teams work together, ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients. We are committed to building a diverse culture where everybody feels they belong, can be themselves, thrive and grow. Havas Group integrated into Vivendi in December 2017. Further information about Havas Group is available on the company’s website: havasgroup.com
#MeaningfulDifference
About Havas CX
Havas CX is as an international network committed to delivering meaningful brand experiences across the entire customer journey.
It brings together almost 2000 people in 26 Havas Villages around the world with key hubs in London, Paris, New York and Mumbai. The network includes 20 of Havas’ global agency groups including ekino (digital transformation), BETC FullSix (customer experience), Havas CX helia (customer engagement) and award-winning leaders in their markets including Plastic Havas, Langoor, Boondoggle, Gate One, Think Design, Host/Havas, Project House and Intellignos. Havas CX is a powerhouse of experts in every area of digital transformation and design, customer experience and customer engagement, eCommerce and much more.
Havas Group Bolsters CS capabilities with Acquisition of Leading UK Digital Experience Agency, Inviqa
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