Mazarine Buys Bacchus: 100 Staff, 7 Offices, VIC Access

French creative group Mazarine has acquired Bacchus, the London luxury PR agency, adding more than 100 staff across seven offices and a client book that includes Diageo Luxury Group, Four Seasons, Six Senses and the Victoria & Albert Museum. The deal, announced June 16, 2026 with terms undisclosed, lets Mazarine mobilize very important clients (VICs) from Bacchus's ultra-high-net-worth network for its events and brand work. Bacchus cofounder Anouschka Menzies told WWD the combination also places brands at the forefront of generative engine optimization.

Updated November 4, 2026. Part of EPR's coverage of the luxury sector.

Summary

• Mazarine, founded in 1993 by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers, describes itself as an independent international group spanning communications, creative and experiences for luxury, fashion, art and culture.
• Bacchus was founded in London in 1998 by Anouschka Menzies and Charlotte Lurot and is led with co-CEO Daize Washbourn. It is independent and female-founded.
• Bacchus has more than 100 employees and offices in London, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dubai, Riyadh and Doha, organized as 16 teams in 7 cities.
• Mazarine says it will be the first to offer creative and communications services combined with VIC engagement.
• The agencies and clients involved span luxury, hospitality, culture and real estate.

Contents

1. Company info
2. What did Mazarine announce?
3. What does Bacchus bring?
4. Why did Mazarine acquire Bacchus?
5. What does the deal mean for luxury PR agencies?
6. What is the timeline?
7. Frequently asked questions

Company info

What did Mazarine announce?

WWD reported the deal on June 16, and CB News, The Business of Fashion and FashionNetwork carried it the same day. O'Dwyer's filed it on June 17. CB News reported that the group gains expertise in media relations, influence and engagement of ultra-high-net-worth clients, and that Mazarine intends to offer a combined proposition of communication strategy, influence, public relations, events and the mobilization of wealthy client communities. Reiffers said in the announcement that Bacchus is the ideal PR and VIC partner and that the combined expertise and international reach let the group go further for shared luxury clients.

What does Bacchus bring?

Bacchus brings global PR and engagement expertise with ultra-premium clients, and it opens access to the art world through Mazarine's Arter and the Reiffers Initiatives foundation. The agency has supported luxury brands for more than 25 years, and its client list includes Diageo Luxury Group, Four Seasons, Six Senses, Technogym, RH, Auberge Resorts Collection, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Zuma Group, Discovery Land Company, Red Sea Global Residential, the London Design Festival, London Fashion Week and Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer.

CB News described the added capabilities as including corporate communication, crisis management and reputation protection, alongside the luxury client access that WWD emphasized. FashionNetwork quoted the deal as an integrated approach that brings together strategy, experience and the activation of the most influential networks worldwide.

Why did Mazarine acquire Bacchus?

Mazarine acquired Bacchus to combine creative, communications and VIC engagement in one group. Menzies said in the announcement that, in an ever-changing luxury communications landscape, the ability to influence audiences directly while building compelling brand narratives is critical to delivering meaningful commercial impact. She told WWD that opinion-led editorial content stands out in saturated digital feeds and helps brands reach the forefront of generative engine optimization, which she called a considerable asset for Mazarine's client portfolio. WWD's coverage is the source for that GEO comment.

What does the deal mean for luxury PR agencies?

These are EPR's reads of the deal rather than reported facts.

1. Integrated offers are growing. Earned media, events and VIC engagement under one roof is the proposition both agencies describe.
2. AI visibility is entering the vocabulary of deals. A cofounder naming generative engine optimization in the context of a sale suggests the term now sits alongside traditional PR value. EPR's Generative Engine Optimization Canon covers the discipline.
3. Specialist boutiques have options. The Business of Fashion described boutique communications agencies winning major fashion accounts, and Bacchus shows a path to scale by joining a creative group while staying independent in character.

For related coverage see The Fashion Citation Share Index 2026, Top Alcohol & Spirits Marketing and PR Agencies and The 5 Largest PR Firms in the World.

What is the timeline?