Deloitte acquires European-based agency to further boost creative services; Firm aims to double the size of Acne’s team by 2020, with half of new hires in the UK; Acne is the second digital business acquired by Deloitte since June.
Deloitte North West Europe today announces the acquisition of Acne, the award-winning European creative agency.*

Founded in 1996, Acne is an internationally acclaimed marketing house focusing on storytelling for brands. They offer creative, strategic, digital, film and photography services for a range of clients, particularly in the lifestyle and luxury retail sectors.

Acne’s past and present clients include IKEA, Telenor, Max, H&M and Spotify. With IKEA Creative Hub, the agency helped the furniture retailer achieve viral success including more than 1bn Twitter impressions, by ironically comparing a $2,145 Balenciaga tote bag, to its similar-looking $0.99 blue bag.

The agency’s executive chairman, Victor Press, and chief executive officer, David Olsson, will continue to lead the team under the Acne name. Acne will become part of Deloitte Digital, the firm’s creative digital consultancy.

Paul Thompson, head of Deloitte Digital for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), says: “The acquisition of Acne is an important move towards Deloitte Digital offering a full range of digital and creative services, with clients increasingly looking for a partner with multidisciplinary skills. We aim to deliver our clients’ ambitions, whether that be launching a new strategy, product or service. By combining Deloitte’s deep data and technological expertise, with Acne’s exceptional creative experience, together we will help build brands for the digital age.”

Victor Press, Executive Chairman of Acne, says: “Our clients are asking for a combination of data analysis and creativity. Deloitte Digital are best in class when it comes to digital and data enabled solutions. By combining this knowledge with our storytelling capabilities we believe that we will bring a highly relevant offering to the market.”

David Olsson, Managing Director of Acne, says: “Although Acne and Deloitte Digital come from different backgrounds with different skillsets, we share similar cultures and views on how to best address brands’ challenges today.”

As part of the move, Deloitte Digital will invest substantially in the business across North West Europe, including hiring approximately 80 new employees. This will double Acne’s current team to around 160 people, with 40 of these new hires based in the UK. Deloitte Digital has also appointed Andy Sandoz as a partner and chief creative officer (CCO), to help lead the team’s combined creative services in the UK.

Acne is the second creative deal that Deloitte has announced this summer, having announced the acquisition of Market Gravity, the proposition design consultancy, on 1st June 2017.

Richard Houston, managing partner for consulting at Deloitte North West Europe, says: “Following the successful addition of Market Gravity in the UK, Heat to our US firm and Mobientoin the Nordics, by joining forces with Acne we have the ability to roll out a greater set of creative consulting services across Deloitte North West Europe. We are thrilled to welcome Victor, David and the Acne team into the firm, and know our clients will be excited to start accessing the wealth of experience they have to offer.”

Deloitte North West Europe came into effect on 1st June 2017, and incorporates the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and the Nordics.