Securitas has acquired the installer Allcoopers Ltd and its subsidiaries.
Allcooper Group installs and maintains security and fire systems, with a head office in Gloucester and bases in the West Midlands and London W1 and around 100 employees; and annual sales of around £7m. Securitas, estimating Allcooper’s value at £6m, says that the electronic security portfolio of long-term customers will support it in its pursuit of its strategic objectives.
Allcooper will operate under the Securitas brand by the end of 2019.
Brian Riis Nielsen, Country President, Securitas UK said: “The Allcooper Group has been a valued trading partner of Securitas UK for several years and this acquisition further strengthens our portfolio, as we continue to build our Electronic Security services as part of our Vision 2020 strategy.”
Roman Cooper, Service Director, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Allcooper Group clients and employees. Both organisations are at the forefront of the latest industry trends and technology, and there are huge opportunities for development and growth.”
Allcooper was founded by father and son, Gary and Gerard Cooper in 1987. They were joined shortly after by Gerard’s brother, Roman Cooper, who became the company’s first apprentice. The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) Gold-accredited firm moved to a new home at Kingsholm near the city’s rugby ground in 2017. It had branched out from its electronic alarm beginnings having made acquisitions of its own and going into consultancy, for high net-worth individuals.
About Securitas
Securitas which operates in 59 markets stresses its six Protective Services: On-site Security, Mobile Security, Remote Security, Electronic Security, Fire and Safety Specialist Services and Corporate Risk Management.
The multi-national based in Sweden has 120,000 employees in Europe. Its 2018 annual report showed that it made similar acquisitions of electronic security installers in France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and the United States. For some years the firm has stressed how it’s moving from (lower-margin) human guarding services to (higher-margin and more aded value) electronic security, and what Magnus Ahlqvist, President and Chief Executive Officer in the 2018 report called ‘data-driven and intelligence-based services services’. Ahlqvist said: “In a future where scale and data availability are critical, we will drive the next big shift in the security services industry to benefit our customers and society as a whole. This will also enable us to grow faster than the market and deliver profitable growth.”
