Two leading creative agencies in Suffolk are to merge, creating a group which will include Coca-Cola Enterprises, Greene King, MasterCard and BT among its clients.

Jacob Bailey Group, which has offices in Ipswich and London, is acquiring Sudbury-based 032 Design, with the enlarged businesses having a workforce of 50 including specialist expertise in areas including creative strategy, digital engagement and web-build.

032’s staff will relocate to Jacob Bailey’s offices in Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, and will also work out of company’s London base, in Shoreditch.

“This is about award-winning agencies coming together to form a business that’s greater than the sum of its parts,” said Jacob Bailey co-founder and chief executive Shaun Bailey, who is also a visitor fellow at University Campus Suffolk and an adviser on the collge’s marketing courses.

“Suffolk is becoming a dynamic hub of creative businesses, and Jacob Bailey and 032 combined have 40 years’ experience here, building a lot of credibility with local as well as global clients.

“For these reasons, and for our talent and educational links with University Campus Suffolk, it’s right that we maintain a significant presence in the county.”

He added: The deal allows us to merge Jacob Bailey’s technology, data and creative expertise with 032’s skills in the increasingly digitised promotional and packaging sector.

“Welcoming 032 into the Jacob Bailey Group is another important move in boosting our credentials in the vital food, beverages and retail sectors while adding new technical skills to our portfolio.”

Jacob Bailey Group, which also includes creative agency White Space, currently includes Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Abellio, MasterCard, Flow, BT and the East of England Co-op among its clients while 032’s customer base includes Coca-Cola Enterprises, Greene King and Hamelin.

Peter Rumsey, managing director of 032, described the deal with Jacob Bailey as “a real milestone in our evolution, positioning us to deliver an extended package of digital services to customers”.

He added: “Being part of a wider digital creative group provides our customers with access to complementary expertise in strategy, digital planning, web and mobile technical development, customer insight and video production, from our Suffolk studio and now also from the group’s base in Shoreditch, London,”

Under the terms of the acquisition, Mr Bailey will continue to lead the group, which he founded in 1998. Mr Rumsey will continue as managing director of O32 while also joining the wider group management team that also includes Rob Manning, Roger Whitelock, Neil Prentice and Will Wright.