Pick Everard sold to French giant

French engineering consultancy giant Artelia has bought Leicester-based counterpart Pick Everard.

The value of the deal remains undisclosed. It follows the acquisition of the Austin Newport Group in Birmingham in 2020, and Castons in Suffolk in March and means that the firm has almost 1,000 employees in the UK.

The Artelia Group now has over 9,700 employees worldwide.

Pick Everard, which has been trading for 150 years, posted a turnover of £71m in earlier this year.

Artelia’s chief executive officer, Benoît Clocheret, said: “This external growth operation is fully in line with Artelia’s strategy to develop at a sustained pace in order to reinforce its position as a multidisciplinary leader on the international scene.

“By joining forces with Pick Everard, we broaden our skills in architecture and design engineering and strengthen our foothold in the UK, where we have already been present for over 20 years. With its solid economy and strong engineering culture, the UK market offers real growth prospects, whether in healthcare, infrastructure or industry.

“Driven by our shared values of independence, proximity to our clients and technical excellence, I am deeply convinced that this merger will consolidate our group’s development momentum, bringing new services to an increasingly broad UK market, as well as stimulating career development opportunities for our teams.”

Duncan Green, chief executive officer of Pick Everard, added: “Joining the Artelia Group unlocks the next exciting phase of Pick Everard’s long history. The strategic alignment of the two businesses will further enhance Pick Everard’s well-established position, providing the foundation for further growth and success, through diversification of our offer, and access to new clients and markets within the UK and abroad.

“This move immediately expands our network of colleagues from over 700 people in the UK, to 9,700 people across the Artelia Group, and creates new opportunities to collaborate and share in best practice, innovation and expertise that will benefit clients world-wide.

“Culture alignment has been critical in our decision to join the Artelia Group, as we’ve sought a partner that is 100% employee-owned and with whom we share the same core values. In Artelia, we have found an organisation that echoes Pick Everard’s commitment to deliver better together for its people, clients, communities and the environment.”