Technology innovation business, So Purple, has sold its broadband division to Coms PLC. The deal generates additional funding for the strategic growth of the company’s Purple WiFi offering, while freeing up time and resource to fully capitalise on the market opportunity that social WiFi presents.
So Purple was established in 2012 after entrepreneur, Gavin Wheeldon, bought and merged five north west development and design businesses. Significant traction within the WiFi market led the management team to decide to focus all efforts in this area and look for a buyer that would benefit from the purchase of the established broadband division.
Commenting on the sale of the broadband business, Gavin Wheeldon, CEO at So Purple Group Ltd, said: “The last six months have shown us that our own strength really lies in developing our position within the social WiFi space, providing cloud-based solutions to businesses with multiple premises both in the UK and internationally. We are working with hundreds of business customers now and have rolled out trials with some major, multi-unit brands. Our broadband division was no longer a key focus for us but it is a natural fit with Coms PLC and both parties will benefit from the transaction.”
So Purple will continue to provide broadband as part of a bundled service, where appropriate but the company’s immediate growth opportunity lies within the social WiFi space, with a focus on the leisure, hospitality and retail sectors.
Wheeldon adds: “We are looking forward to the continued growth of Purple WiFi, which allows businesses to build brand awareness, attracting new customers to their premises without the need for big marketing budgets or costly time investment. Designed to primarily provide businesses with the free service that is demanded by today’s consumers, Purple WiFi ensures that anyone using the service within a social space such as a bar or hotel, can gain free access by simply clicking ‘like’ on the relevant Facebook page or ‘tweeting’ about their location. This means that any business can receive constant promotional access to their customers’ friends and followers.
Providers of the Purple WiFi service also gain access to analytics data, which allows them to learn about the customers who log onto their WiFi, segment their customer base and actively market their venue.