The acquisition, which follows a funding package secured with Barclays earlier this year, will see around 70 members of staff join UNRVLD, as well as both chief executives, Chris Oatey (pictured) and Fleur Horner, who will join UNRVLD’s executive team.

The Value Engineers and 2CV have collaborated for several years, including sharing clients, a data science capability and a joint approach to new business.

The two companies will continue under their own leadership, with investment from UNRVLD to expand what they can offer to clients.

The Value Engineers is a 40-year-old company focusing on brand strategy, while 2CV is 37 years old and is focused on qualitative and quantitative research, with offices in London, California and Singapore.

Oatey became chief executive at 2CV earlier this year, replacing interim chief executive Tim Blandford.

UNRVLD is an experience and technology company founded in Cardiff in 1999 and formerly known as Kagool. It has offices in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leeds and Belfast.

The company had a management buyout in 2020 led by private equity firm BGF, and has acquired businesses including customer experience company Delete, Naveo Commerce and Made to Engage.

Dan Berry, chief executive at UNRVLD, said: “"This is a deliberate acquisition programme and we have the backing to keep going. We are actively evaluating businesses that add strategic capability to further support the breadth of what will be needed to enable intelligent experiences.”

Chris Oatey, chief executive at 2CV, said: “Being part of a group that designs and builds the experience means our evidence will more often shape something real and we will find be part of what happens next. That is better for our clients, and it makes the work considerably more rewarding for our researchers.”

Fleur Horner, chief executive at The Value Engineers, added: “Our team will remain focused on what we do best, but the difference is that our advice no longer has to stop at the recommendation.

“We get to see our ideas become reality, and we keep the independence from media networks that makes clients trust us in the first place."