BDG McColl buys Principals Group

BDG McColl will expand its presence in the retail and leisure design market after its acquisition last week of retail and leisure design specialist The Principals Group for an undisclosed sum.

The 21-strong Principals has worked for clients including Granada, Holiday Inn, Virgin, Bass and Capital Radio. All staff are now expected to join BDG McColl. No redundancies are expected, with staff numbers expected to grow in the short term. “The teams will be fully integrated by the end of the year,” says Sue Wheldon, managing director of BDG McColl Retail.

BDG McColl has specialised in four areas – retail, architecture, communications and workplace – since earlier this year (DW 2 May). The retail team will now be renamed BDG McColl Retail and Leisure.

The Principals founder Jill McArdle joins as strategic director of the same department. The groups are “still to explore whether to retain The Principals as a name”, says Wheldon.

Wheldon confirms that the deal is intended to improve the perception of BDG McColl in the competitive retail and leisure market. “That retail expertise has been here a long time,” she says. McArdle says The Principals will benefit from the increased facilities available to the WPP-owned BDG McColl.

WPP Group has announced interim results for the six months to 30 June. Revenue increased by 8 per cent to 900m, with profit rising by 20 per cent to 93.8m.

See News Analysis, page 8