April’s review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK, with Andrew Bloch

This PRmoment podcast looks at the PR pitch market in the UK and the PR M&A activity for April 2026.

PRmoment founder Ben Smith interviews Andrew Bloch.

Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.

Pitch Market -
Trading has been generally positive and the market remains resilient, with many agencies out performing expectations. However, operational pressures are evident, including slower client response times and higher-than-expected inflation causing rising costs and impacting profitability. Transparent conversations around value, output, and outcomes are becoming increasingly critical as both sides navigate a more complex and cost-sensitive landscape. Agencies will be closely monitoring the impact of global events but for now, many are benefiting from momentum built in Q1, which shows little sign of slowing. By month-end, most agencies should have a clearer view of the year ahead.

M&A Market -
M&A activity points to a market increasingly driven by capability consolidation, specialist expertise and tech-enabled differentiation. Large holding groups are continuing to make targeted acquisitions to deepen strengths in high-growth areas such as social, influencer, sports marketing and experiential, with a clear focus on building more connected, end-to-end communications ecosystems.

Private equity remains active in backing platform-building businesses and specialist agencies with strong vertical expertise, particularly where there is an opportunity to internationalise, professionalise or bolt on proprietary tech and data assets.

We are also seeing growing value placed on owned technology, data and creator/influencer platforms as acquirers look for defensible IP and measurable ROI.

Alongside strategic and PE-led deals, founder succession and management buyouts continue to shape the independent agency landscape, while newer niche businesses are increasingly carving out value through highly defined audience propositions before either scaling independently or becoming attractive acquisition targets.
Overall, the market remains robust for differentiated assets that combine specialist sector expertise, scalable international reach and technology-led or measurable service offerings.