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Lewis Silkin advises Sideshow Group on its acquisitions of Access and Reddico

17 December 2021

Lewis Silkin has advised Sideshow Group, the award-winning independent digital agency, on its acquisitions of two further digital agencies, Access and Reddico. Together with the acquisitions of TRGT, Catch and Widerfunnel, Sideshow have announced five acquisitions since Waterland Private Equity made a significant investment in February. These acquisitions demonstrate that the Sideshow Group is following through on its ambitions to become a global challenger in digital experience and marketing services, and we are delighted to support those ambitions.

In February, Lewis Silkin supported its ambition by assisting Sideshow with the investment by Waterland. This investment was intended to accelerate Sideshow’s growth in delivering meaningful and measurable impact to its clients, and by helping retain and attract the best people in the industry.

The Access and Reddico acquisitions continue to demonstrate the speed with which Sideshow and Waterland together intend to deliver, having announced five acquisitions in as many months. 

Access, a leading digital experience and marketing agency based in Manchester, was founded in 1999 and has a track record of delivering highly effective digital solutions across a variety of briefs. The acquisition brings a team of 40 innovative thinkers and digital practitioners to the Sideshow Group. Reddico, one of the UK's leading SEO specialist agencies, has enjoyed exceptional growth in recent years, combining expertise with proprietary technology and tools to help clients gain a competitive advantage. They have received recognition for their work and also for their positive and people-first culture. Reddico is currently pending B Corp approval and has recently committed to plant one million trees by 2030.

Lewis Silkin are delighted to have worked alongside the Sideshow team on seven transactions to date. The Lewis Silkin team was led by corporate partner, Jo Evans, with support from tax partner, Matthew Rowbotham, corporate senior associate, Francesca Ainsworth and corporate associate, Joe Lythgoe. The legal due diligence team also included Sam Gibb (corporate), Alex Meloy (commercial), Tom McEvoy (employment) and Aimee Dring (real estate). 

Commenting on the deals, Tony Hill, Group CEO and Founder of Sideshow said:

“It’s great to continue working with Jo and the team at Lewis Silkin on these exciting transactions. Each transaction presented some additional considerations to previous deals, so the advice and support we received from Jo, Fran, Matthew, Joe and the wider team at Lewis Silkin was invaluable. We are pleased and fortunate to have them as our trusted advisers.”

Robin Elley, Senior Investment Associate at Waterland Private Equity said:

“The team at Lewis Silkin were instrumental in navigating these transactions. We look forward to working with them again.”

Commenting on the deals, Jo Evans said:

“It’s a pleasure continuing to act for Sideshow on their latest acquisitions. The Sideshow and Waterland teams have already built a cohesive working relationship and our team takes pride in seeing that success and assisting in the growth of the Sideshow Group.”
 

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