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Alistair Buckle, head of relationship marketing at BAA Retail, which has used Acxiom for its email marketing campaigns for a number of years following the latter's acquisition of Digital Impact, said he will be "watching the deal with interest".

"The company has faced certain issues with its European operations, but anything that brings stability and additional financial muscle will be welcomed," Buckle said. "The danger with such an acquisition is that the management team takes their eye off the client, but we will ensure this does not happen."

Capital One, an Acxiom client for several years, said the deal was at an early stage and as long as the data provider's services remained strong, it was not unduly concerned about the firm's European operations.

Acxiom's European chief executive, Dave Allen, stressed the deal marked "a change in ownership, not one of leadership or direction. No management restructure is planned," he said.

US hedge fund Value Act and private equity company Silver Lake will pay £2.44bn in cash for Acxiom's stock. The deal allows Acxiom's board 60 days from when it was announced to seek proposals from other bidders.

IS ADOPTING A PRIVATE EQUITY OWNER A GOOD MOVE FOR ACXIOM?

THE CLIENT: Justin Basini, head of brand and marketing, Capital One

Overall, in principle, the sale is a good step. We welcome any move Acxiom makes to improve its structure and flexibility as a business.

Private equity companies are looking to increase efficiency and gain returns, which means the acquisition could potentially enable Acxiom to develop and bring new products to the market quicker. Just as long as Acxiom's service continues to be strong, I wouldn't see any potential divestment of its European businesses as causing a problem.

THE ANALYST: Fred Searby, analyst, JP Morgan

As a private company, Acxiom can better focus on its medium-term objectives. It intends to invest more heavily in its business by making additional acquisitions in digital, and its European services business.

It plans to continue to add consulting expertise. But there is a risk if Acxiom is unable to realise sufficient cost synergies from integrating its two European acquisitions, Claritas and Consodata. Pricing pressure also remains a risk.

THE CONSULTANT: Chris Duncan, managing director, Infoloop

Acxiom was forced to report on a quarterly basis, making long-term planning difficult. The sale was inevitable and the fact that venture capitalists are part of the deal may mean the management structure and business performance will be under scrutiny, as Acxiom was not delivering on its European assets. Compared with Experian, for example, Acxiom has not grown at a fast rate.

It isn't likely to sell its European arm, rather it will be repositioned. With new ownership comes the potential for new opportunities.