Horseman Cooke in McBains deal

Abbott Mead Vickers’ through-the-line agency McBains has acquired design consultancy Horseman Cooke – now Horseman Cooke McBains – for an undisclosed sum.

Horseman Cooke founders Mike Horseman and Gary Cooke will be managing director and creative director respectively.

Their 12-strong team will be retained and will work alongside McBains’ creative team, which is headed by creative director Giles Keeble and has four designers.

“It’s very exciting,” says Cooke. “We found we were getting involved in so many aspects of the business we weren’t putting as much into design as we could.”

The move, which enables them to tap into McBains’ central services, will free him and Horseman to concentrate on what they’re best at, he adds.

According to McBains deputy managing director Steve Hobbs, the deal will boost McBains’ creative spread, particularly into packaging.

The two groups have already collaborated on projects, including the branding and advertising for a CD-care product Opti-Disc.

The two groups will move to shared premises off London’s Tottenham Court Road early next year. “We aim to integrate Horseman Cooke’s design expertise into our business as well as our expertise into theirs,” says Hobbs.