Webhelp group agrees to acquire Sellbytel in transformational transaction
Acquisition strengthens Webhelp’s position in the European CRM BPO Market
Webhelp Group, a leading global BPO and customer experience company, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Sellbytel Group. Sellbytel is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).
By joining forces with Sellbytel, Webhelp expands its geographic footprint in Europe, and adds an extensive list of international brands and value-added services to its portfolio. Following this acquisition, Webhelp Group forecasts a turnover of €1,3 billion for the end of 2018, supported by a team of 50.000 people, serving over 500 clients, in 35 countries.
Sellbytel’s Barcelona office provides best in class multilingual operations with around 4,000 people working in more than 20 languages. This expertise has been extended to Kuala Lumpur and Puerto Rico as multilingual hubs serving the APAC region and the Americas.
In addition to its complementary geographical footprint and multilingual expertise, Sellbytel enhances Webhelp’s service portfolio in several strategic areas such as end-to-end solutions in B2B Sales and Support activities, as well as an innovative work-from-home model which currently employs over 500 people working for various clients.
As part of Webhelp, Sellbytel will be able to build upon its strong expertise as a CRM BPO provider and will have access to a large variety of additional capabilities, an extensive geographical footprint adding nearshore capabilities for its clients, as well as expertise in areas like AI, analytics, omnichannel platforms, and specialized services provided by subsidiaries of Webhelp such as Telecats, Netino, and Webhelp Payment Services.
Olivier Duha and Frederic Jousset, Webhelp’s cofounders said, “This acquisition is not only a major step to strengthen our position in Europe, it is also a fantastic opportunity to broaden our service portfolio and our geographical coverage. After 18 years of uninterrupted growth, Webhelp is building upon its position as a leader in the CRM BPO industry. The fit with Sellbytel’s management has been a major strength supporting this deal and definitely has us excited about building this future together.”
Michael Raum, founder of Sellbytel added, “We are proud of what’s been accomplished over the last 25 years with our partners at Omnicom and are very excited about our future with Webhelp. Sellbytel management is excited to team up with one of the most successful companies in our sector. Our cultural fit and our shared vision are key elements for our future success.”
Sellbytel management will continue to be strongly involved in the future growth of the company and will provide continuity for the company’s clients while also being able to provide a more comprehensive range of services. Webhelp and Sellbytel expect to derive significant synergies from the transaction thanks to the enhanced expertise and capabilities of the combined group, through cross-pollination of services, and access to new regions and nearshoring models.
Moving forward, Webhelp’s strategy is to continue to grow both organically and through acquisition over the coming years, both in terms of geographical expansion and the addition of new capabilities.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018, subject to approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.
ABOUT SELLBYTEL
Sellbytel Group is a provider of outsourced sales, service and support with operations in 28 centers across Spain, Germany, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Malaysia. More information can be found at www.sellbytel.com.
