Bain Capital set to buy ADK according to reports

Bain Capital, the US investment firm, is to buy ADK for around 150 billion yen, or US$1.3 billion, according to a report by the Nikkei.

It is understood that Bain will make an offer for shares in Japan’s third-largest advertising agency imminently, which would result in it being delisted. A spokesperson for ADK acknowledged the report in the Nikkei but did not provide further comment since an official announcement has yet to be made.

WPP currently holds close to a 25 percent stake in ADK. The agency has recently been working to expand its international presence, and in 2015 launched a business unit called ADK Global dedicated to that goal.