Reach

What Reach does

Reach is a UK-headquartered outsourced field sales and brand experience agency operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acosta Inc. within Acosta Europe. Founded in 1975 as Aspen and rebranded to Reach in 2004, the company serves major FMCG and CPG enterprises including Nestlé, Heineken, Red Bull, Kraft Heinz, Dr. Oetker, British American Tobacco, and Heathrow. It employs approximately 950 people across the UK, Ireland, and Europe, and following Acosta Europe's September 2024 acquisition of Dee Set Group, operates within a combined UK field force of approximately 3,500 in-store colleagues alongside sister brand Dee Set and sub-brand ShopSmart. Headquartered in Woking under Managing Director Andy Buck, Reach is part of the Acosta Group, which has over 30,000 employees globally.

The company's core proposition is its 'Sales Force of the Future' platform, which integrates proprietary technology, AI-powered analytics, and trained field representatives to optimize retail execution. Capabilities include image recognition for planogram and POS compliance (via the October 2024 BeMyEye partnership using unsupervised zero-shot learning), predictive analytics for SKU and demand prioritization, AI-optimized task routing and dynamic allocation, structured competitor data capture, and a data and analytics platform that connects field intelligence to client R&D. The technology stack benefits from Acosta's strategic partnership with Microsoft and access to global development resources spanning Silicon Valley to Surrey.

Reach operates a professional services business model with three primary delivery modes: dedicated solus teams (single-brand exclusivity), syndicated teams (multi-brand shared workforce), and Flexx merchandising teams (tactical/scalable). Pricing is custom and quote-based, typically structured as multi-year enterprise contracts. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct relationships targeting major consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. Revenue is generated through service contracts with enterprise FMCG and retail brands, and the company is funded entirely through its parent rather than external capital markets, with no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Reach

Legal name

Acosta RH Limited

Website

https://reach.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Reach is a UK-based outsourced field sales and brand experience agency serving major FMCG/CPG brands including Nestlé, Heineken, Red Bull, and Kraft Heinz. It delivers AI-powered retail execution, dedicated and syndicated field teams, and merchandising services across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Field Sales & Retail Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Call Center/Telemarketing & Outbound Customer Engagement (MPAAAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

Keywords

• Field sales services
• Retail execution
• FMCG merchandising
• Brand activation
• Retail marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Woking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Field Sales Services: Provides outsourced field sales services to major brands, including dedicated solus teams, syndicated in-store sales teams, Flexx merchandising teams, and tactical field sales. Revenue generated through service contracts with enterprise FMCG and retail brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Reach is an outsourced field sales agency that provides major FMCG brands with dedicated and syndicated field sales representatives, merchandising teams, and brand activation services across UK retail. Its core proposition, the Sales Force of the Future, combines proprietary AI-driven technology, image recognition, and predictive analytics with a 3,500-strong in-store colleague network to deliver planogram compliance, stock availability, promotional execution, and measurable retail ROI for clients such as Nestlé, Heineken, and Red Bull.

Product overview

Reach is a complete field sales and marketing solution provider operating as part of Acosta Europe. The company offers an integrated portfolio combining field sales services (Sales Force of the Future, dedicated teams, syndicated teams, flexx merchandising), experiential marketing activations, merchandising and fulfillment services, and a proprietary data and analytics technology platform. The portfolio includes sub-brands ShopSmart and Tactical Solutions (from the Dee Set acquisition). Services span all major retail channels including grocery, convenience, forecourt, and non-grocery retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ShopSmart: Field sales services brand operating under Reach

Products and services

• Sales Force of the Future Integrated field sales solution combining data, technology and AI that empowers Reach's field teams with predictive AI, advanced data insights, and optimised routing for maximum sales impact across UK retail environments.
• Reach Field Sales Services End-to-end outsourced field sales services including dedicated solus teams, syndicated in-store sales teams, and flexx merchandising teams, providing retail execution, brand activation, and sales performance optimisation across all major UK retail channels.
• ShopSmart Field sales services sub-brand within the Reach portfolio offering specialised retail execution services as part of Reach's comprehensive field sales offering.
• Experiential Marketing Immersive brand activations, festival experiences, community-centric micro-experiences, and hero activations that build emotional connections and drive brand advocacy through hands-on consumer engagement for major brands.
• Merchandising & Fulfillment Services Real-time inventory management, dedicated merchandising teams, supplier support, planning, and accurate delivery ensuring brands maintain visibility, stock, and compliance in retail environments.
• In-Store Execution Services Field sales execution including planogram verification, stock availability monitoring, POS activation, and promotional execution to ensure flawless retail presence at point of purchase.
• Data & Analytics Platform Proprietary technology platform providing real-time retail insights, competitor analysis, and performance tracking, with integration into client R&D and product groups for continuous innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Employee retention rate of 82%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• BeMyEyecoreTechnology or Integration · 16 October 2024Strategic partnership between Reach and BeMyEye, Europe's leading provider of image recognition and data solutions for perfect store execution. The partnership enhances Reach's 'Sales Force of the Future' proposition by integrating BeMyEye's AI-driven image recognition technology. Key features include unsupervised zero-shot learning model for rapid deployment, online/offline capabilities providing real-time actionable insights, and greater agility and scalability for retail brands. Andy Buck, Reach's Managing Director, stated this empowers CPGs to harness image analytics combined with Reach's leading sales and brand experience solutions.
• Dee Set GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2024Acosta Europe announced strategic acquisition of Dee Set, an industry-leading retail and field marketing services provider in the UK. The acquisition positions Acosta Europe as the UK's most comprehensive agency provider of multi-channel digital and physical field sales solutions. Dee Set and Reach continue to operate as separate agency brands of Acosta Europe, maintaining dedicated team strengths while offering cross-agency expertise and syndicated services.
• Acosta GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Reach has been part of the Acosta family since 2017. Acosta is one of the leading field sales companies in the world with over 30,000 employees globally. The partnership brings scale, technology investment, and growth opportunity to the Reach business, benefiting clients in UK and Europe. Reach benefits from Acosta's global technology team, strategic partnership with Microsoft, and access to world-leading technology from Silicon Valley to Surrey.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Smollan: Global retail execution, merchandising, and field services group with operations in EMEA. Larger and more diversified than Reach, but directly comparable in offering outsourced sales teams and in-store execution services to multinational brands.

Direct peers

• REL Field Marketing: UK-based field marketing agency providing outsourced sales, merchandising, and retail execution to leading brands. Direct head-to-head competitor for Reach's UK dedicated and syndicated field team contracts with FMCG clients.
• CPM Group: International sales and field marketing agency headquartered in the UK with operations across EMEA. Competes head-to-head with Reach for FMCG and retailer field execution contracts, offering dedicated, syndicated, and tactical teams with similar data and technology capabilities.
• Gekko Field Marketing: UK and EMEA-based outsourced field marketing and sales agency. Comparable in offering dedicated brand teams, merchandising, and retail activation to major CPG brands — a like-for-like competitor for Reach's core customer base.
• Dee Set Group: UK retail and field marketing services provider acquired by Acosta Europe in September 2024 and now a sister brand to Reach. Directly comparable in services (tactical field marketing, merchandising, retail execution) and customer overlap, making it the most direct operational peer.
• Acosta: Reach's US-based parent and the largest outsourced field sales and marketing agency in North America. Operates the same dedicated/syndicated field-team model for major CPG brands, providing a direct read-across for Reach's commercial model and unit economics.
• Beresford Bell: UK field marketing and retail services agency focused on in-store execution, merchandising, and promotional staffing for major brands. Comparable in scale, customer base, and service portfolio to Reach's UK operations.
• Mosaic Group: Global experiential and field marketing agency serving major consumer brands with in-store execution, merchandising, and brand activation services. Closely comparable to Reach in customer base (FMCG/CPG) and delivery model (field teams deployed on behalf of brands).
• Salesforce (the field marketing agency): UK and EMEA-based outsourced field sales and marketing agency delivering dedicated retail teams and merchandising services to FMCG brands. A relevant UK and European competitor in the same category of outsourced field execution that Reach dominates.

Others

• Acosta Europe: Direct parent organisation of Reach and Dee Set, providing shared services, technology, and M&A leadership. Listed as a related entity rather than a direct competitor given its holding-company role, but is the structural counterpart for cross-agency sales and integration synergies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reachcontact

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reach