Independent marketing group MSQ has acquired consultancy The Forge to boost its insight and strategy capabilities.

The Forge was founded in 2013 and has global clients across the healthcare and consumer products, retail, fashion, entertainment and finance industries.

Its leadership team includes Simon Garnett, Karl Miley, Lee Manning Craik, Kirsty Yeomans and Daniel Quinn. Its annual revenue is estimated at around £4 million.

Steven Melford, co-founder and managing director of The Forge, said: “We’ve had a number of approaches over the years. Any growth partner had to ultimately fit our key criteria of being good people, with a strong cultural fit, a stimulating vision and a platform that would provide growth opportunities for our business, our clients and our team.

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The leadership team will work closely with MSQ executive director Bart Michels.

Peter Reid, Group CEO of MSQ, said: “The Forge is a brilliant addition to MSQ, the team brings greater depth and breadth to our strategic thinking, unlocks innovation growth opportunities for our clients and provides an opportunity for us to extend the scope of The Forge’s work beyond strategy and into activation harnessing our broader skills particularly in creative, design and digital.”

According to the firm, the acquisition will bring expansion opportunities for The Forge, particularly in Amsterdam.

This move comes after MSQ brought UDG and SPCSHP last year.