• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 4, 2014

Dentsu Aegis Network has reached an agreement in principal to acquire Tempero, the UK-based social media management agency.

Tempero will become the European arm of ICUC, Dentsu Aegis Network’s existing UK-based social media shop, the holding company said.

Established in 2002, Tempero is a full-service social media management agency employing more than 160 people working in 20 languages. The agency generated $6.6 million in revenue in 2013 according to Dentsu.

Tempero clients include Sony, NBC, the BBC, McDonald’s and BlackBerry.

Following the completion of the deal, Tempero’s founder Dominic Sparkes will continue to lead the shop -- reporting to Tracy de Groose, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network UK and ICUC’s CEO and President for Brand Strategy Keith Bilous.

“Extending into[Europe, the Middle East and Africa] is critical for business growth and we are very excited about the next steps in realizing our global strategy,” said Bilous. “With brands increasingly needing to protect and manage their business online, the combination of ICUC and Tempero creates a powerful offering for today’s market demands,” he added.

In addition to its London office, Tempero has an outpost in New York.