news 7
OneCom database power boosted in new deal
Telecoms lead generation company Black Sheep Communications has been acquired in a bold deal that gives its new owner access to the details of millions of potential customers.
Brighton firm Black Sheep Communications has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Whiteley-based OneCom, the largest independent UK provider of mobile voice and data, fixed line, IT and unified communications.
The deal is particularly significant for OneCom, as it includes Black Sheep’s valuable B2B databases and its team of 21 highly-skilled members of staff. It means information and leads normally sold to OneCom’s competitors will now go directly to OneCom.
The OneCom sales force will have exclusive and unprecedented access to details of more than two million qualified fixed-line contracts and eight million mobile connections – 80% of the business market. Information from Black Sheep will also let OneCom know when these lines are out of contract, so the customers can be offered packages from OneCom at exactly the right time.
The Black Sheep team works exclusively on business mobile phone contracts and fixed-line renewals and has a focus on customer service and access to the latest technology. The company has gone from strength-to-strength since it was formed five years ago, and now works with a diverse portfolio of companies from blue-chip nationals to small start-ups.
The operation and its staff will continue to be based in Brighton, but staff will now only represent OneCom.
OneCom was formed when Premier Telecom and Business Phones Direct joined forces earlier this year. As well as its head office at Whiteley, the business has regional offices at Camberley, Leeds, Hereford, Birmingham, Southampton, Bristol, Telford and Plymouth, and employs more than 300 staff. It currently manages more than 150,000 mobile lines and has a client list which includes London Transport, the NHS, Skanska and the RSPCA.
It also boasts a level of customer retention that is virtually unheard of in the industry, and as a result has featured for the past two years in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100.
Formation of new companies reaches record high
The second quarter of the year saw a record number of new companies formed in Southampton, according to the latest Duport Business Confidence Report.
Between April and June 2013, 603 new companies were set up, more than in any other Q2 in the history of the area. The report also showed that April, May and June were record months for company formation in their own right.
However, company closures also rose by 10% during Q2, leading to an overall drop in net company growth during the period – the number of company formations minus the number of company closures.
Managing director of
Duport.co.uk Peter Valaitis said: “The rise in company formation during the second quarter of the year shows that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Southampton, which is a good sign for the future of the local economy. However, the increase in closures suggests that trading conditions are still tough in some sectors.“
The Duport Business Confidence Report is published quarterly and provides data and statistics that give an economic overview of every area of the UK.
Services: • Audit & Assurance • Business Recovery & Insolvency • Corporate Finance • Tax
Sectors: • Not-for-Profit • Financial Markets • Property & Construction • Public Sector
We aim to make our clients stand out from the others
To see how we can help email
info@wilkinskennedy.com, or contact our regional offices: Amersham, Egham (Heathrow), Guildford, Reading, Romsey & Winchester
Wilkins Kennedy LLP
www.wilkinskennedy.com THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – OCTOBER 2013
www.businessmag.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44