Grease management specialist acquired in £7m deal
Commercial kitchen services supplier Filta Group has acquired Stratford-upon-Avon based grease management specialist WatBio in a £7m deal.
WatBio – which includes Watling Hope Environmental Biotech – provides a range of fat, oil and grease control, and management services for restaurants throughout the UK including grease traps, biological drain treatment and grease removal systems.
The acquisition, which comprises both cash and shares, will further strengthen Filta Group’s own grease management solutions which are provided through FiltaGMG, based in Rugby.
The deal follows the acquisition of Grease Management Limited in August 2017.
Jason Sayers, CEO of Filta, said: “We are delighted to have acquired WatBio, which is one of the country’s largest grease management companies, with a number of major blue chip customers nationwide.
“We have seen significant growth in our grease management business over the last 12 months and the purchase of WatBio is a perfect fit, which will propel us into the top league of service providers in the UK.”
As well as grease management services, WatBio also provides an additional range of complementary services, including wastewater pumping and treating, and drainage solutions through its drain jetting and vacuum tankering facilities.
WatBio has an annual turnover of around £10m and 85 staff who will all be retained bringing the combined workforce across the expanded Filta Group to approximately 150 people.
Watbio’s business will continue to operate under the leadership of managing director Edward Palin, who will work alongside Debbie Sarson-Lowe who remains managing director of Filta UK.
Sayers added: “We are confident that by combining best practice across both businesses customers will benefit from enhanced resources, experience and product breadth, as well as the upgraded service, systems and controls Filta Group has become known for. This in turn will bring improved efficiencies, productivity and shareholder value across the expanded company.”
