The Havas Group has announced that BD Australia has joined the network to provide shopper marketing expertise and services to complement its Havas Village model.

The move will bolster the Havas’ offering for its current and future e-commerce, FMCG and retail clients.

Led by managing director Simon Porter and executive creative director Tom Hoskins, BD Australia specialises in integrated retail and shopper marketing, creating ideas to help brands and retailers achieve greater commercial process and sell more products.

The agency played a role in helping Havas win the creative pitch for Bottlemart and SipnSave last year, and continues to support other business in the Village (Havas Creative, Havas Media and Red Agency), including Afterpay.

The BD team will be based in Havas’ Sydney office, but will operate nationally. There are currently no plans to change the agency’s name.

Havas’ executive management team, Anthony Gregorio, James Wright and Mike Wilson, said in a joint statement: “Bringing BD Australia on board provides us with another fantastic asset in the Havas Village.

“We can now tap directly into their shopper data set and smartly apply those insights to our campaigns.

“Simon and the team are intelligent, strategic and nimble, always working at speed to find great solutions for their clients. Best of all, they are a great bunch of people, adding a new dimension to our offer giving clients access to a truly holistic set of marketing expertise that can deliver on their objectives and requirements.”

Commenting on the partnership, Porter said: “We believe too few creative agencies in Australia explicitly focus on driving sales and those that do, lack the insight and innovation displayed in leading markets.

“We aspire to be the leading creative solution for forward-thinking Australian clients looking to sell more product.