Jarvis plc : Investis announces acquisition and change of ownership

Investis acquired in £25m management buyout led by Gresham Private Equity - announces agreement to acquire investor relations business from Morningstar (formerly Hemscott IR) to accelerate its growth strategy.

Today, Investis announced that the company's management has been backed by Gresham Private Equity in a £25m buyout from its existing shareholders. In addition, Investis announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Morningstar Investor Relations Services, formerly Hemscott IR. Terms were not disclosed. As part of the Gresham buyout, Helen James, currently MD, will take over from Justin Walters as CEO. Justin will continue to be a shareholder in and advisor to Investis.

Helen James, CEO, said "Investis is a great company and we have always been the innovator in our market allowing us to deliver the best possible solutions for our clients. The backing of Gresham will allow us to move faster than ever, and I cannot think of a better way to start a new phase of the company's development than with the acquisition of Morningstar Investor Relations Services."

She added: "We are delighted to welcome the Morningstar IR clients to Investis, and equally excited to be working with a great team of Gresham people who share our vision and culture."

Justin Walters said, "We are already well ahead of the competition in helping public companies make the most of mobile, social and digital communications. I am incredibly proud to have led Investis  for the past 12 years.  It is a great company, and I am looking forward to supporting and advising the team in the future."

Paul Franks, Partner, Gresham Private Equity said: "We are delighted to back Helen James, CEO, and the team at Investis in the buyout.  We set out about 12 months ago to find a platform digital corporate communications business with a number of key attributes including being a market leader with an international footprint and having a blue chip client base with best- in- class products; Investis absolutely met our criteria. We look forward to working with the team to accelerate Investis' strong track record of profitable growth both organically and through acquisition."

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Investis is Europe's leading specialist in digital corporate communications for public companies. For over a decade we have consistently been at the cutting edge of innovation and development in our sector. Our services enable public companies to achieve joined up, multi-channel, multi-lingual corporate communications across the web, social media and mobile internet. Our services include corporate websites, social media solutions, apps and mobile sites, video and webcasting, website tools and integrated online reporting.

Investis works with over 1,000 companies in 30 countries, from the smallest companies to the largest, including more than 50% of the FTSE100. The company has offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, Finland and India.

Investis Website: www.investis.com

Investis was advised on the transaction by Clarity ( www.claritycp.com) and Osborne Clarke (www.osborneclarke.com).

Gresham specialises in investing in UK mid-market deals typically valued up to around £100 million. It has expertise in the Support Services, Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Products and Energy and Environmental sectors. Gresham focuses on management buy-outs from its offices in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol. This facilitates direct access to the main centres of UK buy-out activity and provides strong local knowledge and a network of contacts essential to sourcing new deals and effectively working with management teams across the UK.  Gresham's dedicated portfolio team works closely with management teams in dealing with key commercial and financial aspects of the business to enhance the value of an investment.

Gresham LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Further information about Gresham and its investments is available from www.greshampe.com

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar acquired the Hemscott data, media, and investor relations businesses in 2008. Morningstar U.K. offers an investing website with data and analysis on more than 9,000 funds available to individual investors in the U.K. In addition, it provides a range of innovative products and services to advisers and institutions, including Morningstar® Adviser Workstation™, a comprehensive, web-based investment planning system, and Morningstar Direct™, a global institutional investment analysis platform. The company also offers investment consulting services to help institutions create and maintain investment products.

CONTACT:
Helen James, CEO Investis. T- 020 7038 9000 or M - 07775522707