Acquisition of WhyteSpyder and Money20/20 trading

RNS Number : 3057S

Ascential PLC

15 November 2021

 

15 November 2021

Ascential plc

Acquisition of WhyteSpyder and Money20/20 trading update

Acquisition of WhyteSpyder

Ascential plc (LSE: ASCL.L), the specialist information, analytics and eCommerce optimisation company, today announces that it has acquired WhyteSpyder LLC, an eCommerce software and digital merchandising business which helps brands succeed on Walmart's digital marketplace.

WhyteSpyder provides retail managed services to more than 80 enterprise brands that trade on Walmart.com, utilising a mix of technology-driven search engine optimisation, retail insights, content management and rich media hosting.  Based in Rogers, Arkansas, WhyteSpyder employs c.40 staff, led by JS Bull (CEO) and Eric Howerton (Founder and Chief Growth Officer).

WhyteSpyder will join Ascential's Digital Commerce business unit, contributing to its mission to help brands and marketplaces win by optimising and accelerating their digital commerce performance.

Money 20/20 trading update

Following the conclusion of a very successful Money20/20 USA in October, where we welcomed over 8,000 attendees, we are pleased to report that the 2021 edition of Money20/20 USA achieved over 95% of the revenue of the last, 2019, edition of the event.  Together with Money20/20 Europe in September, we expect to report combined revenues for the two events of approximately £37m representing a combined 85% of the like-for-like* 2019 revenue.

*Like-for-like revenue comparison is stated at constant currency and excludes Money20/20 Asia which last ran in 2019.

Duncan Painter, CEO of Ascential, commented:

"WhyteSpyder's specialism serving brands on Walmart's rapidly scaling marketplace will accelerate our goal to build out deep cross-platform capabilities within our Digital Commerce business. Walmart represents one of the most significant marketplaces in North America and WhyteSpyder's expertise here, while complementary to our existing Amazon focussed capabilities, will provide further growth opportunities for our existing measurement and execution offerings in this region. 

Meanwhile, we are very pleased to see both editions of Money20/20 rebound strongly this year."

Contacts  

Ascential plc
Duncan Painter	Chief Executive Officer	[phone]
Mandy Gradden	Chief Financial Officer
Rory Elliott	Investor Relations Director
Media enquiries
Edward Bridges, Matt Dixon, Jamie Ricketts	FTI Consulting LLP	[phone]

About Ascential

Ascential delivers specialist information, analytics and eCommerce optimisation platforms to the world's leading consumer brands and their ecosystems. Our world-class businesses improve performance and solve problems for our customers by delivering immediately actionable information combined with visionary longer-term thinking across Digital Commerce, Product Design and Marketing.  We also serve customers across Retail & Financial Services.

With more than 2,000 employees across five continents, we combine local expertise with a global footprint for clients in over 120 countries.  Ascential is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

About WhyteSpyder

WhyteSpyder combines bespoke technology ('SKU Ninja' software) and automation with more than a decade of eCommerce experience to help brands win online. WhyteSpyder offers software solutions for brands trading on the Walmart platform, as well as expert strategy, consulting, and managed solutions to drive performance to the next level.

www.whytespyder.com

 

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