tms is an “and” company, marrying the broadest vision with focused expertise to rethink the way brands behave. Ground-breaking new perspectives, tools, and strategies that create impact and customer-centric transformational change.
A most unexpected mix of talent, 1,200 employees strong across 26 countries, sharing a diverse range of expertise. We navigate and mine complexity like no other to make the seemingly impossible, possible, creating over 110 million customer experiences daily.
As trusted partners to our clients and to society, it’s our responsibility to act and inspire. Helping create a better, more sustainable future for people, communities, and the planet. Our Better Future Blueprint defines our path forward to delivering greater positive impact.
It all started with an old fashioned “handshake” agreement in 1974 Chicago between McDonald’s, Theodore F. Perlman, and Bob Rocque, resulting in the formation of “Perlman Rocque Distribution.” This later became the “HAVI Corporation” in 1981, its distinct name inspired by the founders’ wives, Harriette and Vivian. Global growth began quickly with the opening of a Hong Kong office in 1981, and the company now has over 30 offices worldwide.
The Marketing Store burst onto the UK’s booming agency scene in 1985. Founded by Alistair Mitchell and Graham Kemp, by mid-decade it was Britain’s biggest independent sales promotion agency. Meanwhile, HAVI was on a growth trajectory and completed a purchase of M-B Sales, the provider of Happy Meal® toy design and sourcing.
Pivotal things happened this decade. A merger between The Marketing Store and M-B Sales in 1998 laid the groundwork for what is now tms, and the UK company changed its name to The Marketing Store Worldwide, moving its head office to Chicago.
Social media took off and digital advancements boomed, leading to shifts in consumer behavior and demands. In response, both companies, HAVI Corporation and The Marketing Store Worldwide, diversified their services and capabilities, investing in proprietary technology solutions to better serve their customers.
In 2020, HAVI restructured its operations, merging its Sourcing services business with The Marketing Store Worldwide and forming a new type of company — tms — alongside its Supply Chain business unit. The two were soon joined by a new acquisition, PMI Worldwide, in 2021. In 2023, the Global Merchandising Services part of the PMI team joined tms.
