logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Advertise on Slator! Download the 2021 Online Media Kit Now

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Language Connect Sold to UK eCommerce Company The Hut Group

3 years ago

July 19, 2018

Language Connect Sold to UK eCommerce Company The Hut Group

M&A and Funding ·

by Esther Bond

On July 19, 2018

3 years ago
M&A and Funding ·

by Esther Bond

On July 19, 2018

Language Connect Sold to UK eCommerce Company The Hut Group

On July 17, 2018, Manchester-based online retailer The Hut Group (THG) acquired UK-headquartered Language Connect. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The Hut Group manages ecommerce sites for its beauty and wellbeing customers and for its own brands. The group has grown strongly, generating revenues of nearly USD 1bn in 2017, and is highly profitable. It now employs around 4,000 people globally

London-headquartered Language Connect was founded in 2003 by Ben and Iwona Taylor, who also wholly owned the language service provider (LSP) prior to its sale. The company employs around 75 people globally across its various offices.

Advertisement

The LSP generated revenues of GBP 8.4m (USD 11.1m) in the fiscal year ending September 2017, up 18.3% from 2016. One of Language Connect’s core verticals since its creation has been Market Research. Other than that the company has a fairly diversified client portfolio.

Slator reached out to Language Connect Co-founder and Managing Director Ben Taylor and asked whether he would be staying on post-acquisition. He responded that Language Connect’s “management team will work with THG to ensure a smooth integration of the Company into THG’s Ingenuity division.”

Buyouts are nothing new for THG, and the company made half a dozen acquisitions in 2017, including UK2, a web-hosting business, and Hangar Seven, a digital content agency.

Building In-House Translation Capabilities

So why would an online retailer for beauty, wellness, luxury and lifestyle brands acquire a language service provider? To meet its own translation needs and to enhance its ecommerce platform (called THG Ingenuity), which it offers to third party clients. Language Connect and THG confirmed to Slator that “a key driver of the acquisition was to service THG’s internal translation requirement” and THG says in its press release that “Language Connect represents a significant addition to THG’s proprietary technology platform.”

Servicing language needs inhouse is not uncommon for ecommerce companies. Booking.com, for example, runs a Content Agency that is comprised of 200 in-house Language Specialists who deal with high-value or high-impact localization. A pool of around 2,500 freelance translators handle high-volume content, such as property descriptions.

Interestingly, Language Connect was not an existing provider of translation services to THG, who presumably used another outsourced solution for translating the multilingual websites they operate in 35 languages. The website for one of its own brands, Look Fantastic, is currently available in ten languages as well as English, for example.

“The Hut Group has been proactively looking for in-house translation”

Explaining how the deal came to be, Language Connect and THG told Slator that “the Hut Group has been proactively looking for in-house translation, to enable the Business to provide timely, localised content across their websites globally”. Now, THG will begin to offer Language Connect’s translation services to its ecommerce customers and will continue to service and expand the LSP’s existing client portfolio.

KPMG was responsible for THG’s financial and tax due diligence while Gowling WLG handled Legal aspects. Language Connect was represented by law firm Collyer Bristow and Financial and Tax services were provided by Shipleys LLP.

For expert analysis and a full list of all 2017 deals covered on Slator including price, earnings or revenue multiples paid where available, sector, country, type, and more, download the Slator 2017 M&A Report.

Slator 2017 Language Industry M&A Report

Data and Research
16-page report. Analysis of 2017 language industry M&A, 2018 outlook, list of all deals Slator covered incl. price, multiples if available, sector, country, deal type.
$280 BUY NOW

TAGS

Ben TaylorBooking.comCollyer BristowGowlingHangar SevenIwona TaylorKPMGLanguage ConnectLook FantasticShipleysThe Hut GroupTHG IngenuityUK2
SHARE
Esther Bond

By Esther Bond

Research Director at Slator. Localization enthusiast, linguist and inquisitor. London native.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
Rheinschrift Language Services – Strategic Improvements and Workforce Expansion in 2021

Rheinschrift Language Services – Strategic Improvements and Workforce Expansion in 2021

by Rheinschrift Language Services

Memsource Acquires Phrase

Memsource Acquires Phrase

by Memsource

Across Systems will be part of the Volaris Group

Across Systems will be part of the Volaris Group

by Across Systems GmbH

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Handling Sensitive Information Webinar

    Handling Sensitive Calls with Limited English Proficient Consumers

    by Lionbridge

    · February 10

    Learn more about how Lionbridge Over-the-Phone Interpretation Services can help bridge communication gaps with limited...

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

SDL

SDL

Smartling

Smartling

Lingotek

Lingotek

XTM International

XTM International

Smartcat

Smartcat

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

by Esther Bond

Top Language Industry Quotes of 2020

Top Language Industry Quotes of 2020

by Monica Jamieson

The Most Popular Language Industry Stories of 2020

The Most Popular Language Industry Stories of 2020

by Seyma Albarino

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,000 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.