Advertising agency M&C Saatchi is looking for a local partner for its Shanghai office, and plans to open a second office in China next year.
'We have the advertising experience,' said Tom Dery, executive chairman of M&C Saatchi Asia Pacific. 'What we are looking for is a partner who has connections and can give us local advice.'
The Asian-focused advertising agency, established by Lord Maurice Saatchi and his brother in 1995 after they were ousted from the Saatchi & Saatchi board, now operates out of 14 offices worldwide, 10 of which are in the Asia Pacific.
The British-based firm, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in July, is now looking for a mainland partner to help boost its customer base, after a three-year presence in China operating on its own.
The company last week launched its 14th regional office in Thailand by buying control of a local agency, Spaulding & Co, which generated a profit of six million baht (HK$1.1 million) from 50 million baht worth of billings for the year to date.
Further Asian expansion was on the cards, it said, with one new office due to be opened by the end of this year, and another in the first quarter of next year.
