THE biggest and oldest advertising agency in Bournemouth has been sold.

Aylesworth Fleming has been sold by Emerge Limited to international advertising group Oliver.

Aylesworth Fleming was founded in 1985 by Matt Fleming and Martin Aylesworth Syvertson and became one of the biggest independents in the industry, with across the country.

It evolved into the Emerge group, which is keeping its other agencies, Space and Time Media, Whistle PR and Bournemouth-based Thinking Juice.

Aylesworth Fleming has more than 120 staff, 65 of whom are based in Bournemouth, and all will stay with the new business. Its turnover is around £10m.

Oliver CEO Simon Martin said: “Aylesworth Fleming is a business with a great pedigree and a great offer that is as relevant now as it ever was.

“We plan to invest in the agency and grow its presence in its established locations in Bournemouth, Leicester, Manchester and Edinburgh, and particularly in London where Oliver has its head office.”

Oliver works with leading brands including Axa Insurance, the Post Office, Starbucks, Google and BMW.

It bases its agency staff in clients’ offices to allow them to build stronger relationships and awareness of the brand.

The company said planned to double the size of Aylesworth Fleming’s Bournemouth operation and it was also recruiting in the Midlands and the north west.

Matt Fleming intends to stay in a full time role with the organisation.

He said: “This heralds an incredibly exciting time for Aylesworth Fleming. With the strength and talent of a company like Oliver behind us, the sky’s the limit.

“We are a perfect fit in their organisation and we’ll bring another dimension to the business. Our UK-wide presence will make a big difference to their remotely based teams up and down the country, offering them greatly enhanced support and resource.”

He added: “I am enormously proud of what we’ve achieved at Aylesworth Fleming, growing the business to its ‘best in breed’ status despite the ravages of two severe recessions and the breathtaking speed of change in our industry.”