Jigsaw24 has bought rival reseller Root6 in a deal that also includes its systems integration team and its technology division.

Nottingham-based Jigsaw acquired 100% of the shares in Root6 for an undisclosed fee.

The deal follows 12 months of discussions that gathered pace earlier this year; in January, Jigsaw24 directors Martin Balaam and John Hughes registered Root 6 Holdings with Companies House.

Staff members at both companies were due to be informed officially today. All 45 Root6 employees are included in the deal.

Owners and founders Graham McGuiness, Rupert Watson and Marcus Hume-Humphreys are set to take on senior roles within Jigsaw24.

On completion of the deal, Root6’s reseller and systems integration departments will become ‘Root6, a Jigsaw24 company’, working alongside Jigsaw24’s media and entertainment reseller team.

McGuiness and Watson will head up the combined unit. 

Root6 Technology, the product development arm behind the file-based workflow management and automation platform ContentAgent, will remain as a standalone business with Hume-Humphreys as managing director.

Nottingham-based Jigsaw24 is an authorised Apple reseller and service provider with an annual turnover of just under £100m.

Backed by NorthEdge Capital (NEC), it has offices in Soho and MediaCityUK and has supplied post facilities including Evolutions and Coffee & TV. 

It sells kit from Sony, Canon, Blackmagic Design and Avid, among others.

Jigaw24 parent Jigsaw Holdings was acquired for an undisclosed amount by company shell Insanely Great in 2013, backed by NEC.

Root6, founded in 1997, is a Soho stalwart.

Renowned for its work with Avid Technology, it also sells kit from Adobe, AJA, FilmLight, Quantum and BlackMagic Design, among others.

Clients include The Farm (pictured), IMG, Goldcrest, Deluxe and ITN.

Root6 sales and marketing director Rupert Watson said “the natural fit made it a no-brainer”.

He said: “We are looking forward to working together to take our solutions to the next level; creating a complete one-stop-shop for current and future Jigsaw24 customers.”

Jigsaw24 chief executive Martin Balaam added: “[Root6] have an unbeatable history of providing the very best audio and video solutions to the creative industries – we have been truly envious of their technical capabilities and over the moon that we are now one team.

“We truly believe that we’re at a point of change in creative technology as businesses increasingly start to demand cloud-based solutions.

“Our combined business – Root6’s unparalleled technical knowledge and Jigsaw24’s datacentre, managed service and logistical expertise – is perfectly placed to meet that demand.”

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