UK Integrator IUF Folds Experiential Brand Xi Into Parent Company
2026-08-07 · via invidis
British integrator IUF is retiring its Xi brand, folding the experiential subsidiary fully into the parent company over the coming months. The move matters to signage buyers because it changes how one of the UK's larger AV and digital signage integrators presents itself to clients, though the underlying services are staying the same for now.
IUF founder and CEO Josh Bunce and Franco Boydell, IUF's Head of Growth and formerly Xi's chief, each announced the change in separate LinkedIn posts, according to invidis. Xi had operated as a standalone experiential brand within the IUF group since it was formed through the merger of Eventstag and We Are Interact five years ago.
Bunce said it makes more sense to bring all business divisions under one roof rather than run several specialized brands. "Rather than having many businesses specializing in many things, we have one business that specializes in everything," he wrote, according to invidis. Under the new structure, clients get single-source access to experiential activations, retail technology, digital signage, stadium solutions, workplace technology, AV, IoT and digital infrastructure, the company says.
Boydell framed the change as the outcome of a five-year structural and cultural strategy rather than a sudden pivot. Two other executives, Charlie Richards and Andrew Hill, had already moved into group-wide roles as Head of Development and Head of Creative respectively. Boydell said Xi is trading some of its former flexibility for more reliable processes as part of the consolidation.
Part of a bigger acquisition push
The brand merger comes shortly after IUF's acquisition of British AV integrator Project Audio Visual, which formed the basis of a new Workplaces division. Speaking to AV Magazine around that deal, Bunce said IUF is targeting £100 million in revenue and 20 locations worldwide by 2030, with five more potential acquisitions already in the pipeline.
For operators and end clients who worked with Xi on experiential or retail activations, the practical question is whether account teams, contracts and points of contact change during the transition. The announcement does not say how existing Xi projects will be handled during the rebrand, nor does it specify a timeline beyond "the coming months."
The consolidation fits a pattern seen elsewhere in the integration market, where companies that grew through acquiring specialist brands eventually simplify back into a single name once cross-selling and shared back-office functions matter more than brand differentiation. Whether IUF's single-brand approach helps or hinders its stated growth targets will depend on execution details the company has not yet made public, including how the newly acquired Project Audio Visual business will eventually be branded within the group.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
UF is reshaping its brand portfolio: experiential subsidiary Xi will be fully folded into the IUF name. Further acquisitions and business expansions are already in the works.
British integrator IUF is fully folding its Xi brand into the parent company. IUF founder and CEO Josh Bunce and Franco Boydell, IUF’s Head of Growth and formerly Xi’s chief, each announced the move in separate LinkedIn posts. The transition is set to happen over the coming months.
Xi originally emerged from the merger of Eventstag and We Are Interact and has since operated as a standalone experiential brand within the IUF group.
After five years together, it makes more sense to bring all business divisions under one roof rather than run several specialized brands, Josh Bunce wrote in his LinkedIn post . “Rather than having many businesses specializing in many things, we have one business that specializes in everything,” the IUF CEO said.
Clients will now get single-source access to experiential activations, retail technology, digital signage, stadium solutions, workplace technology, AV, IoT, and digital infrastructure.
Franco Boydell described the restructuring in as the result of a five-year structural and cultural strategy. Executives Charlie Richards and Andrew Hill had already moved into group-wide roles as Head of Development and Head of Creative, respectively. Xi is trading some of its former flexibility for more reliable processes as a result, Boydell said.
The brand merger follows shortly after IUF’s acquisition of British AV integrator Project Audio Visual, which built out its new Workplaces division. Speaking to AV Magazine around that acquisition, Bunce said IUF aims to grow revenue to £100 million and expand to 20 locations worldwide by 2030, with five more potential acquisitions in the pipeline.