LONDON: RWS Holdings plc, a London-listed artificial intelligence solutions company, announced Monday it has agreed to acquire Acogroup, the parent company of language and content services provider Acolad, in a deal valued at £22.4 million ($26 million) in enterprise value.
The binding agreement calls for RWS’s wholly owned subsidiary, RWS Global Holdings Limited, to acquire Acogroup from its security holders. Total consideration payable by RWS is £40.2 million, which includes roughly £17.8 million for cash held by the company at closing, a statement said.
Acolad, founded in 1995 and headquartered near Paris, provides language and content solutions across 22 countries in Europe and North America. The company employs about 1,200 people and reported revenue of £182 million and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of £13 million for the year ending Dec. 31, 2025.
Roughly half of Acolad’s revenue comes from regulated industries, including an established medical device business that RWS said would complement its existing life sciences operations. About 75% of Acolad’s revenue comes from localization and related services, with interpreting, transcription and other services making up the remainder.
RWS said the acquisition would extend its artificial intelligence platforms — including its Cultural Intelligence Layer and Language Weaver Pro — to a broader base of enterprise clients, particularly in Western Europe, where Acolad works with roughly half of the companies in France’s CAC 40 stock index.
Under French legal requirements, RWS has entered into a binding put option obligating it to sign a formal acquisition agreement once two of Acogroup’s subsidiaries complete consultations with their French works councils. The sellers have granted RWS exclusivity during that consultation period.
The deal is expected to close in the first half of RWS’s 2027 fiscal year at the latest, pending regulatory clearance from the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, as well as any other required foreign investment approvals.
RWS said it would fund the acquisition through existing credit facilities after refinancing its revolving credit facility in October 2025. The company described itself as well-capitalized with strong cash generation.
Once the deal closes, Acolad will join RWS’s Transform business segment. The transaction qualifies as a substantial transaction for RWS under AIM Rule 12, reflecting its significant size relative to the company’s existing operations.
“This is a compelling acquisition that enhances our growth strategy as we deploy our AI content solutions,” said Benjamin Faes, chief executive officer of RWS. He said the deal would expand the company’s enterprise client base, particularly in Europe, and give it greater scale to invest in new products.
Bertrand Gstalder, chief executive officer of Acolad, said the company had built a European leader in content and language solutions over the past decade and called joining RWS “the natural next step” after years of admiring the company.
RWS said a further announcement would follow once the transaction is completed.
