Nicework seeks Asylum

The consolidation trend has made itself visible at the opposite end of the spectrum with the merger this week of two small domestic consultancies, Asylum Design and Nicework Design.

Corporate design group Asylum Design acquired youth specialist Nicework Design for an undisclosed sum on Monday, as well as forming an alliance with research company Evo.

Asylum Design claims a turnover of £1m per year, which it expects to increase by 30 to 40 per cent through the acquisition. There are no redundancies and the merged company, which will remain as Asylum Design, will occupy Asylum Design’s existing offices in London’s Clerkenwell.

Asylum Design continues to be led by managing director Andy Sallis. The merged consultancy will have a work force of 18, and clients such as Nike and Unilever.

“This acquisition enriches our mixture. We focus on the corporate side, while Nicework has experience in the youth market, so this enables us to offer a more rounded service. We don’t want to be a niche business,” he says. “The alliance with Evo allows us to offer a more strategic service at an earlier stage in the process.

“We will have access to each other’s clients,” Sallis adds.