Hill Dickinson has advised on the management buy-out of Manchester-based consumer insight agency Join the Dots.

Headquartered in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the city centre, Join the Dots delivers consumer insight through a combination of primary research and the latest thinking in psychology, behavioural economics and consumer trends.

Hill Dickinson corporate partners Ian Riggs and Alasdair Mackinnon acted on behalf of company founders and previous majority shareholders Pete and Trish Comley, with assistance from associate Katie Somerville.

The terms of the deal see the Comleys reducing their shareholding, with Trish stepping down as chairman. Pete will remain on the board as a non-executive director along with senior management team leaders Quentin Ashby, managing director, and Graeme Lawrence, sales & marketing director.

The company’s multi-national portfolio of clients includes GlaxoSmithKline, The Co-op, Diageo, British Airways, Unilever, BBC, Tesco and Nationwide.

Commenting on the deal, corporate partner Ian Riggs, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Pete and Trish on this deal. They have built a fantastic business which has gone from strength-to-strength since its formation in 1998. This is an exciting new chapter for Join the Dots as it approaches 20 years in business and we wish the team the best of luck for the future.”