Galway-based agency IMS Marketing has been acquired by US firm Locomotive Agency, which will see the Irish company double its workforce in the next two years.
IMS Marketing specialises in export-focused business and has more than 100 clients. It has also supported market development programmes with Government agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, Intertrade Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
The company was founded in Oranmore in 2007 and has seen 30 per cent year-on-year revenue growth and rising profits over the past three years.
IMS Marketing is the second acquisition by North Carolina-based Locomotive, which specialises in SEO and paid advertising, and the first outside the US.
The deal will see IMS double its workforce to 45 by the end of 2025, creating 20 new jobs in the areas of digital marketing and strategic brand communications as it expands its reach into the US market.
Candidates will be recruited across Ireland, with flexibility for remote working outside client meetings and in team collaboration days.
Founder and managing director Kevin Moran, who will retain his role in the agency with his senior leadership team, said the acquisition would accelerate IMS’s ambition to grow internationally.
Locomotive chief executive Marty Martin said the “excellent cultural and strategic fit” of the two agencies will increase the value offered to their combined customer base.
