Katie Blampied, Managing Director at Coast, said: "Advertising and marketing is a rapidly evolving industry and to stay ahead you need to continuously review your offering. Having done just that, we identified some areas that we felt would become less profitable and others that needed greater resources to develop than we were able to provide. This led us to conclude that it was not in the best interest of our clients and services to continue with the company in its current form.

"We were approached by Hamilton Brooke who was expanding and looking for new opportunities and as a result the core business and some of the staff will be joining them, enabling us to move forward, grow in the areas we identified and, of course, continue to provide an excellent service to our clients."

Hamilton Brooke Director Efrem Cockett said: "Hamilton Brooke is undergoing a period of growth and bringing the Coast business into the company fits perfectly with our plans. In addition to its clients, Coast also manages an interesting portfolio of publications and in the coming months we'll be examining options for their future development. In the meantime though we look forward to welcoming some much-needed, experienced and highly professional staff into the business to further strengthen our services."

Coast will fulfil all ongoing commitments and continue to operate from its current premises until 17th August when the business will be transferred to Hamilton Brooke.