Granite, the rapidly growing digital agency, has acquired the Limerick-based data science and digital marketing agency Coalface for an undisclosed sum that includes cash and equity.
According to Granite, the acquisition will mean revenues will grow to around €18m in 2025 while its workforce will rise to 145.
Coalface manages over €220m annual online revenues across 68 countries. With this acquisition, Granite’s customer base expands by the addition of over 20 clients, including Aer Lingus, An Post, Allianz Care, Laya Healthcare and Continental.
“The acquisition of Coalface aligns with our vision of cementing Granite as a leader in the digital transformation space,” says Conor Buckley, CEO of Granite.
“Coalface’s advanced AI capabilities and innovative approach to data science boosts our service offerings, allowing us to deliver increased value to our clients. This partnership provides marketers with enhanced visibility into their marketing performance and a broader suite of tools to meet their business goals,” Buckley says.
He adds that Coalface brings deeper expertise in data science, analytics and AI to Granite’s business.
Established in Cork in 2008, Granite Digital specialises in providing full service digital solutions across strategy, web design, web development, digital marketing, and SEO. In recent years, the company has expanded rapidly by way of acquisition. Recent acquisitions include digital design agency WONDR and the New York-based LCM in 2023.
For its part Coalface was founded by Adrian Feane, who previously worked for marketing companies like RMG, Huguenot, Digino and Sales Online.
“Joining Granite is a very exciting step for the team and clients at Coalface,” Feane says. “Having already worked closely together with Granite on multiple projects, we could clearly see the benefits of a full integration of our operations to deliver more complete solutions for our highly valued clients. This new venture creates further opportunities for us to shape a more data led approach to how marketers define their digital strategies,” he adds.
