Premier has made a full acquisition of Edinburgh-based arts PR agency The Corner Shop, purchasing the agency from its founder and managing director, Susie Gray.
Gray will stay with the business, joining Premier’s executive board, and lead the Edinburgh office, which is set to be renamed Premier Scotland.
The Corner Shop’s entire team, consisting of 10 full-time employees and three freelance consultants, will be joining Premier, integrating with its existing teams in London and Manchester.
The agency said it was unable to share any financial details regarding the acquisition.
Founded in Edinburgh in 2015, The Corner Shop is an arts PR agency that has worked with clients including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Sean Connery Foundation, and the National Theatre of Scotland.
John Reiss, founder and chairman of Premier, said: “We warmly welcome Susie and her very talented team to the Premier fold. We have collaborated in the past and share professional ways of working and business ethics and values.
“Together we are stronger and able to supply an enhanced service to our Scottish, UK and international clients across entertainment, arts and culture.”
Gray said: “We are delighted to be joining the brilliant team at Premier. Through our recent collaborations, we already know that not only do we share a passion and creativity when it comes to campaigns, but that together we can offer a broader and richer range of services, expertise and experience to our clients.”
Premier told PRWeek UK it would not be making any redundancies as a result of the acquisition, adding that the agency “anticipates there may be additional hires in the new year as our expansion continues”.
The move follows the opening of Premier’s Manchester office in March.
Premier’s work includes delivering PR and event production services for many of the UK’s cultural institutions and entertainment brands, including the Booker Prize, which took place last weekend (26 November ); the EE Bafta Film Awards; and a selection of international film and television releases.
Premier was founded in 2001 and is independently owned by its senior management.
The agency, which has 165 employees, reached a revenue of £27m in 2022, leading it to rank as the top-performing UK consumer PR agency in PRWeek’s Top 150 Consultancies.
