Lewis Silkin French Desk has advised its longstanding client Publicis Groupe on the acquisition by Publicis Groupe UK of Taylor Herring, one of the biggest names in the UK PR industry.

Publicis Groupe is strengthening its suite of creative agencies with the acquisition of boutique PR agency Taylor Herring to boost its existing capabilities in earned and owned media. As part of the deal, Publicis Groupe UK has also acquired Taylor Herring’s in-house production company, St. Mark’s Studios.

Taylor Herring is one of the most famous agencies in the PR and social media industries in the UK having won awards including Cannes Lions, the Grand Prix at The Drum Marketing Awards, Campaign’s PR Agency of the Year and has received more PR Week awards in the last decade than any other agency. Taylor Herring clients include Samsung, Subway, Iceland, easyJet, Kellogg’s, Disney, UKTV and YouTube.

Publicis Groupe UK is a marketing and digital transformation business with 5,000 people working across 22 agencies.

The Lewis Silkin team was led by Corporate partner Paul Rajput, with support from Corporate Tax partner Matthew Rowbotham, Corporate managing associate Barnaby Stokes, Corporate associate Joe Lythgoe, Commercial senior associate Oliver Watson and Employment associate Tom McEvoy.

Commenting on the deal, Paul Rajput said:

“We are delighted to have supported our highly valued client Publicis Groupe on this strategic investment in the UK and look forward to working with the team on future acquisitions. Advising on this transaction further cements Lewis Silkin’s robust M&A experience and market-leading sector expertise in the field of advertising & marketing.”