What CPM International does

CPM International is a Barcelona-headquartered, London-domiciled sales outsourcing and customer experience agency that has operated continuously since 1936 and has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Omnicom Group since 1988. The company operates across 34 markets with 10,000+ employees, deploying field sales representatives, merchandisers, brand ambassadors, door-to-door teams, and contact-centre agents on behalf of enterprise consumer brands across physical, virtual, and digital touchpoints under its branded 'Liquid Approach' methodology.

The company's product portfolio comprises eight integrated service lines — Sales, Digital Sales, Merchandising, Auditing & Compliance, Customer Support, Sampling/Demos/Active Selling, Experiential, and Data Science — augmented by the proprietary *shopt B2B rewards and engagement app (used by 20,000+ UK and 3,500+ French convenience retailers), the Axis analytics sub-brand, Hyphen (experiential), and TPN (creative commerce). Underlying these services is a global data warehouse built with Microsoft on Azure Synapse Analytics and Power BI, ingesting billions of rows of campaign, weather, social, and event data and powering AI applications including image recognition for shelf monitoring, predictive targeting, NLP-based diagnostics, and personalised recommendations.

CPM monetises primarily through multi-year managed-service contracts with global consumer brands (PepsiCo, Mars, Diageo, Suntory, HP, Samsung, Microsoft, Vodafone, Bel, Asahi, and others), supplemented by project-based experiential engagements and *shopt's recurring digital platform fees. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed, with contract structures combining contract sales teams, tactical teams, and digital solutions; long client tenures (Mars 40+ years, HP 20+ years) anchor a stable enterprise revenue base.

Name

CPM International

Legal name

CPM United Kingdom Limited

Website

https://cpm-int.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

CPM International is an Omnicom-owned sales outsourcing and customer experience agency operating in 34 markets with 10,000+ employees, serving global consumer brands in food and beverage, technology, retail, and other sectors with field sales, merchandising, contact-centre, experiential, and AI-enabled data services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sales Outsourcing and Customer Experience Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Communications Management (CCM) & Transactional Messaging (MPAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Sales outsourcing services
• Field marketing agency
• Retail merchandising services
• Customer experience management
• Experiential marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices32 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sales Outsourcing Services: CPM provides outsourced sales teams including field sales, merchandising, door-to-door sales, and sales auditing to brand clients. Services are typically structured as long-term contracts combining contract and tactical teams. Revenue is derived from service fees for deployed sales representatives, account management, and sales performance delivery.
2. Customer Experience and Contact Centre Services: CPM operates customer contact centres on behalf of brand clients, providing technical sales and service, customer support, and field dispatch management. Revenue is generated through service contracts, typically on a per-agent or per-interaction basis.
3. *shopt Digital Platform: *shopt is a B2B rewards and engagement app that connects brands with convenience retailers. While primarily a brand engagement tool, it operates as a digital platform generating engagement between brands and retailers, with brands paying for distribution, visibility, and data access.
4. Experiential and Event Activations: CPM designs and executes experiential marketing, sampling, events, and in-store activations for brands. These are typically project-based engagements with fees tied to execution scope, staffing, and materials.
5. Data Science and Analytics Services: CPM offers data science, analytics, and AI-powered reporting as part of its service offering, providing actionable insights from its proprietary data warehouse. This may be bundled with core service contracts or offered as standalone advisory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CPM International provides outsourced field sales, retail merchandising, customer experience/contact-centre, auditing and compliance, sampling and demos, experiential activations, and data science services to brand clients across 34 markets. It deploys its own trained representatives in physical, virtual, and digital touchpoints under its Liquid Approach, supported by a proprietary global data warehouse built with Microsoft and the *shopt B2B rewards and engagement app for convenience retailers.

Product overview

CPM International is an international sales outsourcing and customer experience agency organized around its 'Liquid Approach' methodology, which dynamically blends physical, digital, and data-driven services across multiple touchpoints. The company's product portfolio consists of eight integrated service lines — Sales, Digital Sales, Merchandising, Auditing & Compliance, Customer Support, Sampling/Demos/Active Selling, Experiential, and Data Science — supported by proprietary technology platforms including the *shopt B2B rewards app (for convenience retailer engagement) and a global data warehouse built with Microsoft Azure. The group also includes subsidiary brands: Axis (data and analytics), Hyphen (experiential events), and TPN (creative commerce campaigns). The core value proposition lies in combining human field expertise with AI-powered analytics and real-time data to maximize sales outcomes for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• *shopt: B2B rewards and engagement app, creating meaningful connections between brands and customers. Launched June 2018, used by over 20,000 independent convenience retailers in the UK.
• Axis
• Hyphen
• TPN

Products and services

• Field Sales (Sales Outsourcing) Core field sales service deploying CPM-trained representatives to drive customer acquisition, brand awareness, and product availability across physical retail environments for brand clients.
• Digital Sales Digital-first sales solutions complementing physical field teams, enabling brands to reach customers across omnichannel environments with data-driven digital interventions.
• Merchandising In-store merchandising services ensuring optimal product placement, shelf availability, and brand visibility across retail environments.
• Auditing & Compliance Brand compliance auditing services that verify retail execution standards, pricing compliance, and regulatory adherence across store environments.
• Customer Support Outsourced customer contact-centre and customer experience services handling customer inquiries, technical support, and relationship management across multiple channels on behalf of brand clients.
• Sampling, Demos, Active Selling In-store product sampling, demonstration, and active selling services designed to drive trial, purchase conversion, and brand engagement at the point of sale.
• Experiential Experiential marketing and event activation services creating immersive brand experiences at retail locations, pop-up stores, trade shows, and public events for client brands.
• Data Science Analytics, data science, and business intelligence services leveraging CPM's global data warehouse to generate actionable insights, predictive models, and AI-powered recommendations for clients.
• *shopt B2B Rewards and Engagement App B2B rewards and engagement mobile application connecting brands with independent convenience retailers, providing communications, incentives, audits, NPD launches, video content, competitions, and surveys.
• Axis Data, analytics, and insight solutions sub-brand within the CPM Group that drive smarter, more profitable decision making for clients across CPM's global markets.
• Hyphen Experiences and events sub-brand within the CPM Group creating immersive brand experiences that connect brands, people, and moments in time.
• TPN Creative commerce campaigns sub-brand within the CPM Group that create connected experiences to drive sales and build brand commitment across retail environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66% of Diageo technical faults resolved over the phone without engineer visit, through CPM QCT division's diagnostic training and technology
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers54 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

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.

• Carbon Footprint Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CPM selected Carbon Footprint Ltd. as its long-term partner for its formal CO2 reduction programme. Carbon Footprint Ltd. supports CPM in calculating emissions from business travel, hotel stays, and office electricity consumption across all markets. They produce annual emissions reports and advise on appropriate carbon offset programmes including solar, wind energy, cookstove, and reforestation projects. The programme was rolled out to the full UK operations in 2022, Ireland in 2023, and planned for other European markets in 2025.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationCPM built its global data warehouse in partnership with Microsoft using Azure Synapse Analytics and Power BI. The partnership enables CPM to aggregate billions of rows of data from all campaigns, markets, and interactions worldwide. Microsoft Azure APIs enable seamless integration with client systems, allowing client managers to view CPM field data alongside their own sales figures in Power BI dashboards. The data warehouse is described as 'a living system that will continuously evolve.'
• Retail SafaricoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail Safari SASU (France) and Retail Activation PTY LTD (Australia) are subsidiaries/partners within the CPM Group that provide field sales and retail activation services. They operate as operational arms in France and Australia respectively, extending CPM's geographic footprint.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Crossmark: Sales and marketing services provider offering retail execution, field sales, and shopper engagement for consumer brands. Direct peer operating in a similar outsourced retail services category to CPM.
• MSX International: Global sales and technical service outsourcing firm with comparable outsourced field force model to CPM, though more focused on automotive and industrial verticals. Direct peer in the outsourced field services category.
• REL Field Marketing: UK-based field marketing agency specializing in retail execution, merchandising, and sales support for consumer brands. A direct regional peer competing with CPM UK for similar CPG and retail clients.
• Advantage Solutions: North America's largest sales and marketing agency, providing outsourced sales, merchandising, and retail marketing services to CPG brands. Closest large-scale direct peer to CPM, with comparable service lines and enterprise CPG client base.
• Smollan: South African-headquartered field marketing and sales activation services firm with operations across EMEA, APAC, and Africa. Comparable international footprint and outsourced retail execution model to CPM International.
• Powerforce: UK-headquartered outsourced sales, merchandising, and retail marketing agency. Direct regional peer to CPM UK, offering comparable in-store execution and field sales services.
• Acosta Group: Leading US-headquartered sales and marketing services agency serving CPG brands with field sales, retail merchandising, and category management. Direct competitor to CPM with overlapping service portfolio and CPG vertical focus.

Broad incumbents

• WPP plc: Global advertising and marketing services holding company with retail activation, shopper marketing, and field marketing capabilities within its agency portfolio. A broader incumbent competitor that competes for the same enterprise brand budgets as CPM through sister agencies.
• Publicis Groupe: Global advertising holding company with sales activation, shopper marketing, and experiential capabilities across its agency network. Broader incumbent competing for enterprise marketing budgets, including via field marketing and activation agencies within its portfolio.

Emerging players

• Planorama: France-based computer vision and image recognition platform for retail shelf monitoring and merchandising audits. Emerging tech-forward player overlapping with CPM's AI image recognition shelf-monitoring capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPM_Int
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPMInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cpm-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/cpm_international

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries5 records

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 CPM International