Marketing and creative agencies to acquire in Manchester

Name: Marketing and creative agencies to acquire in Manchester
Creator: Firmbase
License: https://firmbase.co/terms

Updated 9 November 2026

Looking to acquire a marketing or creative agency in Manchester? Firmbase ranks 191 marketing and creative agencies using public company information to help buyers prioritise firms for research and potential outreach. The Approach Score ranks firms using public signals including director age and tenure, ownership, business scale, financial strength and recent changes. These firms are not listed for sale, and the ranking does not indicate that an owner is considering a sale.

The median firm has 9 staff and has been in business for 10 years; 1 firm is owned by a group that has acquired several firms in this sector. Looking beyond Manchester? Explore the full North West list of marketing and creative agencies.

191

Firms

UK 3,434

10%

Every director 55+

UK 16%

28%

Held 75%+ by one person

UK 30%

Median years in business

UK 12

Median headcount

UK 8

£500k to £1m

Median turnover band

UK £250k to £500k · includes our estimates

1 firm owned by 1 group that has bought several firms in this sector. That is 1% of this list.

The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order

Rank	Firm	Approach Score	The facts behind the score
1	The SignBox Oldham Manchester, Lancs	Approach Score 84/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2006 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 14 staff · turnover est. £339k Net assets £235k (Jan 2026) Company no. 05676074 · Companies House thesignbox.com
2	BUY ME Media Manchester	Approach Score 83/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2016 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £626k Net assets £84k (Sep 2025) PSC register changed Dec 2024 Company no. 10385728 · Companies House buyme.media
3	R T a Publicity Bolton A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 80/100	2 directors aged 70 or over 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £1.4m Net assets £1.5m (Jul 2024) Company no. 01716977 · Companies House rtapublicity.co.uk
4	SKY Parlour Manchester	Approach Score 80/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2009 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £1.6m Net assets £663k (Dec 2025) Company no. 07009362 · Companies House skyparlour.com
5	True North Communications Manchester	Approach Score 77/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2001 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £247k Net assets £278k (Jun 2026) Company no. 04240580 · Companies House
6	Imagine Events Stockport, Cheshire	Approach Score 73/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 45-49, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 1996 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £391k Net assets £36k (Apr 2025) Company no. 03172290 · Companies House imagine-events.com
7	Sharp Ahead Manchester, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 72/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2014 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 17 staff · turnover est. £828k Net assets £350k (Apr 2026) Company no. 08971343 · Companies House sharpahead.com
8	Nationwide Partners Cheadle, Cheshire A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 71/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2023 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £17k Net assets £815 (Sep 2025) Company no. 15172961 · Companies House
9	Plan IT Build IT T/A First Choice Extensions Manchester, Lancashire	Approach Score 69/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2024 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £16k Net assets £6k (Apr 2026) PSC register changed Feb 2025 Company no. 15486523 · Companies House
10	VSM Manchester, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 69/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 2 directors aged 60-64 · longest in post since 2003 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £626k Net assets £161k · newer accounts made up to Oct 2025 Company no. 04854830 · Companies House vsmhealthcare.com
11	Glorious Creative Manchester, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 69/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2003 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £412k Net assets £88k · newer accounts made up to Mar 2026 Company no. 04647616 · Companies House gloriouscreative.co.uk
12	The Events Structure Stockport, Cheshire	Approach Score 68/100	We hold older figures than Companies House Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £274k Net assets £81k (Jan 2022) · newer accounts made up to Jan 2026 Company no. 08902977 · Companies House theeventsstructure.com
13	Democracy PR Manchester	Approach Score 68/100	Director aged 50-54 · in post since 2007 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 26 staff · turnover est. £1.1m Net assets £230k (Dec 2025) Company no. 06426893 · Companies House wearedemocracy.co.uk
14	Rockfield Media Bolton	Approach Score 67/100	1 director aged 65-69, 1 aged 55-59, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 1997 1 individual holds 75%+ · held via a trust or firm · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £281k Net assets £210k (Jul 2025) Company no. 03413875 · Companies House rockfieldmedia.com
15	C21 Altrincham, Cheshire A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 66/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59, 2 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2006 Corporate owner More about this firm 15 staff · turnover est. £1.3m Net assets £540k (Mar 2025) Company no. 05684315 · Companies House c-21.co.uk
16	Volume Marketing Stockport, Cheshire	Approach Score 66/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2022 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £254k Net assets £28k (Aug 2025) Company no. 13861840 · Companies House volumemarketing.co.uk
17	Shepherds Interiors Stockport, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 65/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2024 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £236k Net assets £7k (Feb 2025) Company no. 15523539 · Companies House
18	Quality Drawing Office Services Rochdale, Lancashire	Approach Score 65/100	1 director aged 50-54, 3 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2014 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £639k Net assets £252k (Apr 2026) Company no. 08976082 · Companies House
19	Ally Marketing Leigh, Lancashire	Approach Score 65/100	Director aged 45-49 · in post since 2012 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £739k Net assets £681k (May 2025) Company no. 08048615 · Companies House allymarketing.co.uk
20	Manchester SPG Manchester	Approach Score 64/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2018 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £366k Net assets £162k (Dec 2025) Company no. 11720932 · Companies House manchesterspg.com
21	Blaze Marketing Manchester	Approach Score 64/100	2 directors aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2013 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £282k Net assets £32k (Sep 2025) Company no. 08685255 · Companies House blaze-marketing.co.uk
22	Pixel8 Manchester, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 64/100	1 director aged 55-59, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2007 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 6 staff · turnover est. £239k Net assets £781 (Sep 2025) Company no. 06407431 · Companies House
23	SLG Agency Manchester	Approach Score 64/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 3 directors aged 70 or over, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2003 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 15 staff · turnover est. £1.4m Net assets £145k · newer accounts made up to Dec 2025 Company no. 04994649 · Companies House slg.agency
24	Sign Depot Manchester, Lanashire A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 64/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2021 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 6 staff · turnover est. £106k Company no. 13482293 · Companies House signdepot.co.uk
25	The Foundry Communications Salford, Greater Manchester	Approach Score 64/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2000 Corporate owner More about this firm 11 staff · turnover est. £377k Net assets £168k · newer accounts made up to May 2025 Charge satisfied Aug 2025 Company no. 03974788 · Companies House foundryhealthcare.co.uk

166 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.

You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 191 for £799 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.

Buy the list of all 191 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.

What's in the file

One row per firm, in Approach Score order, as Excel + CSV.

It holds the facts behind each score, points for each part of the score, financials with dates, publicly available contact details, where identified, director names and named shareholders.

Some people with significant control appear as Other individual, with no further detail. Director email lookups are not included.

How this list is filtered

5 or more staff, from filed headcount or our estimate where none is filed.
Registered office in Manchester.

See every filter on the UK list

How this list is built

The Approach Score ranks firms mainly on public Companies House information about owner tenure and age, ownership, size, financial strength and recent register changes.

Firms with higher scores appear first in each list.

Use the ranking to order research, then check each business directly.

Read how the Approach Score works

What it does not mean

No firm here is for sale, and the score says nothing about any owner's plans.

At least 95% of the firms where we hold directors had them checked in or after November 2026.

What we do not cover

Regulatory information is not included in this list. Buyers should check the relevant register as part of their due diligence. Agencies have no single sector regulator. Check advertising obligations against the ASA's Advertising Codes and search its published rulings; the ASA regulates advertisements rather than licensing agencies.

Why age bands but no people's names

Age bands come from the month and year of birth on Companies House. This page shows no exact ages and no people's names. Both come with the purchased list. The band edges from 45 to 65 are the ages where the score changes. A row shows no age bands when a director's surname is in the firm's name, its group's name or its website. Those directors' ages still count towards the score.

Is this your firm?

You can ask us to take it off every acquisition page, and out of every list we sell after that. Give us your name and work email, and we send you a link to confirm. If your email address is on the firm's own website domain, the firm comes off once you confirm. If it is not, a person reviews your request first. A list already sold stays with its buyer.

To have personal data erased, see our privacy policy.

Other areas

North West Liverpool

Related sectors

PR agencies Recruitment agencies

The standard Firmbase list

Marketing Agency Companies in the UK

Buy the list of all 191 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.