bristolworks DEALS SPOTLIGHT
Bristol engineering consultancy buys Yorkshire operation Hydrock, a large, Bristol-based engineering design consultancy, has acquired a 20-strong counterpart in Yorkshire, MRB Consulting Engineers
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RB is based in Wetherby and provides building services design and environmental engineering consultancy services on a wide range of property schemes in northern England and across the UK.
NEW TO BRISTOL Who are we talking to today? Studiovine. What does it do? It’s a web and branding agency. Been here long? About three months. It has set up home on Unity Street, near College Green. Who is in Bristol? The main contact for now is executive director Lee Nathan. You can reach him and the rest of the team at hello@studiovine.co.uk Who does Studiovine work with? It is probably best known for its branding work with the professional basketball team Plymouth Raiders. It has worked on the website and been at the forefront of the Raiders marketing for the past two seasons. Recently Studiovine signed a follow-on two-year partnership with the idea of re-marketing the club in a new direction. How big is the company? There are five in the current team, generating turnover of under £500,000.
The acquisition strengthens Hydrock’s energy and sustainability offering in the built environment and existing UK office network by adding a base in Yorkshire. Hydrock’s Bristol HQ is in Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, by Cribbs Causeway.
What trends are there in your industry? “Every company is digital now to some extent, so what we do is essential and in the mainstream,” says Nathan. “That mean many companies have more capability in-house that in the past, and we are more likely to get more niche and targeted strategic work to deliver engagement against particular metrics. In a word, web and branding has grown up and the nature of what we do is more specific – there are fewer open briefs to ‘sort out the website’ than in days gone by.”
Led by John McElwee, MRB will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hydrock trading under the name of Hydrock MRB as a separate operating division for the foreseeable future. Hydrock chief executive Brian McConnell said: “This is a great strategic move for both Hydrock and MRB. It provides us with a base in a key geographic location giving access to the strong property development market in and around Leeds and across Yorkshire. “It also enables MRB to realise their growth plan which is fuelled by the strong relationships they have established over the past 12 years.” McConnell said MRB is wellaligned with Hydrock’s cultural values and the way it builds relationships with clients. “Having spent time with MRB’s leadership team I know we are aligned in these areas and this will make the transition for both clients and staff very easy.” MRB recently completed the building services design for the new HQ of Leeds-based law firm Walker Morris. MRB’s MD John McElwee said: “I am very proud of the business we
HYDROCK BUYS MRB Industry Engineering Deal type Acquisition of smaller operator Value of deal Not disclosed Management lead Dr Brian McConnell is Hydrock’s CEO
have developed at MRB. Joining Hydrock is the perfect next step for the ambitions of our team and the growth of our client offer.” “I’ve got to know several of the Hydrock senior team over the past few months, and the obvious synergies in our staff culture and client approach makes me very excited for the future.” Hydrock employs about 450 staff across the UK. Besides the Almondsbury HQ , it has offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Southampton. For more: www.hydrock.com
Lee Nathan of Studiovine
Why have you come to Bristol? “The city is well-connected and close enough to Plymouth for us to continue to work as a team on shared projects,” says Nathan. “The market in the city for the kind of work we do is crowded already, but everyone has a particular specialism and there is room for us without a doubt.” Are you feeling at home? “Very much so,” says Nathan. “We have done a lot of networking and been made very welcome. We actually picked up a client from networking at a Bristol Life event, so thank you for that! Bristol Media events have also been worthwhile, and we continue to spread our wings.” For more www.studiovine.co.uk
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 87