Granite has announced it has acquired Coalface, a Limerick-headquartered data science and digital marketing company.
Following the acquisition, Granite's workforce will grow to more than 145 digital specialists, and its revenues are expected to exceed €18 million in 2025. The acquisition is a seven-figure deal comprised of cash and equity.
This strategic move amplifies Granite's market presence and digital capabilities, enabling an enhanced suite of services for customers seeking data-driven solutions. Adrian Feane, CEO of Coalface, joins the Granite team as part of the acquisition.
Coalface manages over €220 million in annual online revenues across 68 countries. With this acquisition, Granite's customer base expands by over 20 blue-chip clients, including Aer Lingus, An Post, Allianz Care, Laya Healthcare and Continental.
Coalface brings deeper expertise in data science and analytics to Granite's service portfolio. The addition of Coalface's data science, revenue attribution and conversion rate optimisation experts, along with its proprietary advanced AI technologies, into Granite's existing offering – which already includes AI – provides clients with valuable intelligence to drive business growth. These services include data warehousing, conversion rate optimisation, marketing spend attribution, privacy, AI modelling, and measuring campaign effectiveness across multiple touchpoints.
Established in Cork in 2008, Granite Digital specialises in providing full service digital solutions across strategy, web design, web development, digital marketing, and search engine optimisation. Granite is on an upward growth trajectory through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. It acquired digital design agency WONDR in November 2023, and the digital wing of New-York-based LCM 247 last year.
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Conor Buckley, CEO of Granite, said: "The acquisition of Coalface aligns with our vision of cementing Granite as a leader in the digital transformation space. 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."
Adrian Feane, CEO of Coalface, said: “Joining Granite is a very exciting step for the team and clients at Coalface. 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.”
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