UK corporate website specialist Investis has acquired Quartal Flife Oy, a Finnish-German online investor relations company, in a move to establish itself as a European market leader in online corporate communications.

UK corporate website specialist Investis has acquired Quartal Flife Oy, a Finnish-German online investor relations company, in a move to establish itself as a European market leader in online corporate communications.

The terms of the deal remain undisclosed, although the transaction was financed through a mix of equity and cash, partly funded by a €6 million (£5 million) five year-term loan from HSBC.

Investis provides corporate website services for some 500 clients, including half of the FTSE100 and more than a third of the FTSE350. The company has around 100 clients across mainland Europe.

Quartal Flife provides investor relations tools for corporate websites in mainland Europe. Its portfolio of products includes a broad range of financial and management reporting tools.

Justin Walters, Investis CEO, commented: “We see huge opportunities in this market as the centre of gravity in corporate communications shifts rapidly towards the online medium across Europe. Tough economic conditions will accelerate this change and the deal gives us the scale, the product portfolio and the market presence to capitalise on the opportunity it presents.”

The combined company will have over 1,000 clients in more than 20 countries globally, serviced by 180 employees operating in the UK, Germany, Finland, Italy and India. Pro forma group revenues in 2008 are projected to be some £12 million.