Property and construction firm with Cheshire base acquired by RSK

Property and construction firm with Cheshire base acquired by RSK
Acies Civil and Structural to become key part of global geotechnical and engineering division

RSK has acquired Acies Civil and Structural  (Acies), a property and construction consultancy working throughout the UK and worldwide.

The acquisition sees the Acies business, including about 20 employees at three sites across in Runcorn, Cheshire, London and Edinburgh, transferring to RSK, where it will continue to operate under the leadership of Mike Rudd, Neil Clarkson and Lyndsay Waymont.

Acies will become a key part of RSK’s geotechnical and engineering division, which is run by George Tuckwell. The Acies brand will be retained and the business will continue to operate as Acies Civil and Structural Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RSK.

The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has backed RSK in making the acquisition. Its provision of £10m to RSK last year first facilitated the acquisition in December of ADAS, a research and consultancy services firm specialising in agriculture, food and crop production, and environmental services in the UK.

This latest acquisition expands RSK’s footprint as one of the biggest environmental consultancies in the UK.

It also provides a great opportunity to add new services to RSK’s portfolio, including expertise in commercial and property construction management. These services will add a new layer of skills to the organisation to the benefit of its clients.

Acies has a track record of innovation in civil and structural engineering and many years’ experience of new build, conversion and refurbishment projects spanning the commercial, sport and leisure, retail, education, industrial and residential sectors.

Its team of skilled engineers has been involved with prestigious office developments in London, including 23 King Street for Standard Life and the extension and refurbishment of office buildings in Waterloo Place, Moorgate and Artillery Lane.

The company is currently working on retail park developments across Scotland for AEW Europe and shopping centre extensions and refurbishment for Standard Life and Vale Real Estate. Acies also offers acquisition advice and expert witness services, and temporary works design services for main contractors.

RSK’s advisers on the acquisition were Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services LLP (due diligence), Dow Schofield Watts Corporate Finance Ltd (corporate finance) and Memery Crystal LLP (legal).

Dr Alan Ryder, chief executive, RSK Group said: “I am delighted to join forces with Acies. The company has extremely experienced and skilled professionals who share our common values. RSK and Acies see the provision of top-quality buildings to enhance our environments and economies, while at the same time delivering the best solutions for our customers, as an absolute priority. So, it is a really good fit, commercially and culturally.”

Mike Rudd, Acies director, said: “Joining forces with RSK cements our successful long-term relationship and offers Acies the opportunity to provide our existing clients with new services and to expand our expertise and offerings across the RSK portfolio.”

Neil Inskip, BGF investor, said: “BGF exists to help ambitious businesses move forward with their growth plans. RSK Group is a business of significant scale built on a collection of niche expertise and with clear ambitions for the future of the company. The funding also demonstrates BGF’s appetite to continue supporting local companies with global operations.”

£100m turnover RSK is a fully integrated, environmental, health, safety and engineering services company employing more than 1,700 staff in offices across the UK and worldwide.

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