Say Yes and Verse merge to launch commerce practice COMMON

Two UK agencies have joined up to give retail and hospitality clients one team for both the shop window and the engine behind it.

Ecommerce agency Say Yes and creative marketing agency Verse have merged to form COMMON, a design and build practice focused on commerce systems and digital experience. The launch was announced on 14 October.

What the new business looks like

COMMON has around 30 staff across offices in London and York, and is backed by peers in the wider superassembly group. Accounts moving across include pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers, Myomaster and Union Coffee, Modern Retail reports.

Say Yes co-founder Phil Clark leads the business as CEO. He has hired John Brolly into a new role of Chief Orchestration Officer, bringing commerce experience from businesses including Athos Commerce, GPMD and Astound. Jordan Donnelly is Creative Lead, and Hayley Gardener becomes Account Director after nearly a decade at Verse, where she ran the Mitchells & Butlers account.

Brolly said COMMON will give clients "a single partner who holds the complete digital picture", as reported by Retail Times.

Why it matters

Commerce clients are tired of juggling a creative shop and a build partner. Merging two established small agencies is a quick way to offer both under one name, and it brings senior people and long-standing accounts with it. For founders weighing a sale, a merger of equals is often the simpler first step.

Wondering whether a merger could work for your agency? Explore your options at Agencies.co.

Sources: Modern Retail, Retail Times