(Bloomberg) -- RRD, the provider of marketing and printing solutions, said it will buy business support services company Williams Lea from buyout firm Advent.
Williams Lea will retain its brand name and become part of RRD’s digital, creative and business support services segment, according to a statement Friday, which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. It didn’t provide financial terms.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, pending regulatory clearance. It’s set to value Williams Lea at several hundred million dollars, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier.
Williams Lea’s research teams and creative talent help banks and law firms design pitchbooks and gather information for presentations. It also provides legal document reviews, mailroom services, marketing support and other administrative functions. The company, which started as a London print house about 200 years ago, serves clients in 20 countries and has 7,000 employees worldwide, according to its website.
RRD, formerly known as R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co., was taken private by Chatham Asset Management in a deal completed in 2022. The company provides business communication and marketing services to more than 90% of the Fortune 100.
Advent acquired Williams Lea Tag from Deutsche Post AG in 2017. It split the business two years later, with Williams Lea focusing on providing business support to professional services firms and Tag acting as a marketing production partner to brands and advertising agencies. Advent sold Tag last year to Dentsu Group Inc.
Canson Capital Partners advised RRD on the deal, while Advent worked with Evercore Inc.
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