ShopFully, MEDIA Central, Flipp join forces in global merger

ShopFully and MEDIA Central have announced a merger with Flipp to create the largest international player in 'drive-to-store' marketing. This new combined company will serve thousands of blue-chip retailers and brands across 27 global markets, reaching over 400 million shoppers in Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

The merger will unite the leadership and management of ShopFully, Flipp, and MEDIA Central. This integration aims to provide enhanced digital merchandising capabilities and a more advanced shopper dataset to help retailers and brands better connect with consumers. The combined platforms will create a robust digital merchandising network, enabling improved engagement with shoppers through both online and in-store touchpoints.

This newly merged entity will be led by majority owner Truelink Capital, along with Insight Ventures, Bregal Unternehmerkapital, and Highland Europe. According to Stefano Portu, CEO of ShopFully and CEO Digital at MEDIA Central Group, "Following the combination of MEDIA Central and ShopFully last year, this integration is the natural next step in our strategy, creating a unified global leader in Drive-to-Store Marketing. Leveraging our unique, AI-powered marketing tech platform and investing jointly into product and technology will allow us to offer even greater value to our customers worldwide."

Michael Silverman, CEO of Flipp, also emphasised the potential benefits of this merger. "Flipp is trusted by retailers and brands to provide innovative merchandising solutions in the evolving digital landscape. Shoppers expect seamless personalised experiences across their shopper journey, spanning both in-store and online touchpoints. By merging Flipp, ShopFully and MEDIA Central expertise, we will offer a full range of drive-to-store solutions. This will ensure that shoppers are empowered with critical shopping content, while retailers and brands can leverage their promotions to drive shopper engagement."

The companies have stated that they will maintain their separate brands and continue serving their respective markets. Flipp, known for its digital merchandising in North America, has been instrumental in helping major retailers and brands enhance their local promotions. Meanwhile, ShopFully and MEDIA Central have excelled in driving foot traffic and online sales through hyper-localised digital promotions across Europe, Australia, and Latin America.

The unified platform resulting from this merger is expected to offer significant value to both retailers and brands by creating an advanced digital merchandising network. This network will provide a comprehensive set of tools and data to aid in shopper engagement. The combined operations will facilitate a wider global reach, acceleration in innovation, and enhanced value for clients.

The finalisation of the merger is anticipated by Q4 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Founded in 2008, Flipp is a technology platform focused on reinventing the way people plan their weekly shopping trip. Flipp connects North America's retailers and CPG manufacturers to tens of millions of high intent shoppers each week.

The MEDIA Central Group is a European market leader in drive-to-store marketing solutions. The Group unites the specialist for data-based 360° offer communication, MEDIA Central, international leading drive-to-store technology platform, ShopFully, together with the experts for digital offer communication, Offerista Group, and the data science experts for the moment of purchase decision, Yagora.

ShopFully is an international tech company and leader in Drive to Store solutions, connecting millions of shoppers with local stores around them. Operating in 25 countries, ShopFully partners with over 500 top retailers and brands to enhance their digital and physical marketing strategies, leveraging proprietary technology to drive foot traffic and sales.