The new group of companies is now one of the leading and largest drive-to-store marketing platforms in Europe and will also become a preferred partner for brands, retailers, publishers and large technology platforms in the transformation of retail marketing.
In a challenging, inflationary environment with increasing pressure on margins, a steady flow of customers generated by drive-to-store marketing is of great importance for retailers and brands. Founded in 1997 and growing ever since, MEDIA Central Group today employs over 900 people and manages customer budgets of more than 600 million euros in over 25 countries. With the complementary strengths of MEDIA Central, Offerista, Yagora and ShopFully, the new group offers innovative drive-to-store marketing solutions for retailers and brands across Europe and internationally.
Ingo Wienand, MEDIA Central Group CEO, says: "ShopFully complements MEDIA Central perfectly - both geographically with its leading market position in Southern Europe and internationally, and in terms of the highly scalable, AI-driven digital platform that will further strengthen our collaboration with major retailers and brands. The merger with ShopFully is another important step on our path towards the digitalisation of drive-to-store marketing, which we started with the acquisition of Offerista in 2021 and data science specialist Yagora in 2022."
Stefano Portu, CEO of ShopFully and now CEO Digital of MEDIA Central Group, adds: "I am proud of what we have achieved so far, but the team and I are even more excited to continue developing the industry together with MEDIA Central in the coming years. We believe that by bringing these companies together we are creating a leading player in 360° drive-to-store marketing and see huge untapped market potential across Europe and beyond. Following the growth of ShopFully, including acquisitions such as Tiendeo, we are confident that this is the natural step to realise our vision of reinventing retail marketing. As CEO Digital of the Group, I look forward to continuing to work with Benjamin Thym, CEO of Offerista Group, and the entire Offerista and Yagora teams to expand our digital platform into new European and international regions.
Sascha Kaumann, Director of Bregal Unternehmerkapital GmbH, adds: "Bregal has been a partner of MEDIA Central Group and its founder Stefan Hamacher since 2019. Since then, Bregal, together with the management team led by Ingo Wienand, has transformed the group into a digital-first drive-to-store marketing specialist. Bregal is delighted to welcome Stefano Portu and the ShopFully team to MEDIA Central and look forward to growing the digital business in Europe and beyond."
About MEDIA Central
Strong brands for strong communication solutions: The MEDIA Central Group unites MEDIA Central, the Offerista Group, the data science experts at Yagora GmbH and the foreign subsidiaries MEDIA Central Poland and MEDIA Central Czech Republic under one roof. The MEDIA Central Group supports its customers as a trusted partner and holistic solution provider for successful data-based 360° offer communication. Both the Group's solutions and services make a significant and measurable contribution to increasing sales in the retail sector. As the market leader in unaddressed household advertising, MEDIA Central manages over 15 billion leaflets every year. The Offerista Group is Europe's largest network for digital retail marketing and bundles over 1,400 platforms and reach partners in its own native network. As experts for the moment of the purchase decision, Yagora analyses and optimises shopper marketing measures and thus enables an increase in POS performance. The group is represented throughout Europe with over 500 employees at 14 locations in 7 countries and currently serves customers in 24 countries from all sectors. www.media-central.de.
About ShopFully
ShopFully has set itself the goal of redefining local shopping worldwide and is the European champion and one of the leading international digital drive-to-store marketing technology platforms for major retailers and brands. With a presence in 12 countries in Europe, Australia and Latin America, ShopFully reaches a network of approximately 45 million active users thanks to its apps and websites DoveConviene, Tiendeo, PromoQui and VolantinoFacile. With its technology solutions - including HI! (Hyperlocal Intelligence), the AI-powered hyperlocal marketing platform - ShopFully helps more than 400 top global retailers and brands engage with consumers throughout the buying process, from online research to in-store purchases. The company employs 370 talented people from 30 different countries. For more information, please visit www.shopfully.com.
About Bregal Unternehmerkapital
Bregal Unternehmerkapital ("BU") is a leading family investor with offices in Zug, Munich and Milan. As part of a family business that has grown over generations, BU's funds invest in medium-sized companies headquartered in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy, covering a wide range of industries. In its endeavour to be the partner of choice for entrepreneurs and family businesses, BU focuses on partnerships with market leaders and "hidden champions" with a strong management team and great growth potential. Since it was founded in 2015, the funds managed by BU have invested over €2.6 billion in more than 100 companies and thus supported over 25,000 employees. In close partnership with entrepreneurs and families, their companies are further developed, internationalised and digitalised - so that sustainable value is created on a responsible basis for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.bregal.de or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Highland Europe
Highland Europe invests in exceptional growth-stage software and internet companies. Highland Europe has been active in Europe as Highland Capital Partners since 2003 and was officially launched in 2012. Since then, the firm has raised more than €2.75bn and invested in companies such as Adjust, AMCS, Camunda, ContentSquare, Descartes, Deepki, eGym, Featurespace, GetYourGuide, Huel, Jellysmack, Malwarebytes, MatchesFashion, Me+Em, Nexthink, Podimo, Spot, Supermetrics, WeTransfer, Wolt and Zwift. Highland's cross-investment history in the US, Europe and China includes 46 IPOs and 19 companies valued at over $1bn. For more information, please visit www.highlandeurope.com.