Facilities management firm Europa bought by Germany’s Bilfinger
EUROPA Support Services, the Salford Quays-based facilities management company, has been acquired by German engineering and support services group Bilfinger.
Europa, which has more than 3,000 staff nationwide and turnover of more than £140m, did not disclose the financial terms of the sale.
Bilfinger is a leading international engineering and services group employing 70,000 employees. In Germany it is the largest facilities management provider, while in Europe, it is the third largest.
The acquisition of Europa will place Bilfinger as one of the top 25 facility management businesses in the UK with a turnover of £182m and around 3,600 employees.
Europa, which was founded in 1971, has customers including shopping centre operator intu to Land Securities, United Utilities, Lloyds Banking Group, the Civil Aviation Authority, insurer RSA and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Europa has been rebranded Bilfinger Europa Facility Management with immediate effect.
Its senior management team, led by chief executive Greig Brown are remaining with the business.
Dr Eckhart Morré, managing director of Bilfinger HSG Facility Management said: “Europa has a strong geographical spread across the United Kingdom, excellent market penetration in key areas, a sound reputation for customer service and aspirations to grow as a business and diversify into new markets and specialisms.
“For those reasons, and the strong cultural fit between the two organisations, Europa is the perfect match for Bilfinger.
“Bilfinger is looking to further establish itself in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland markets, which we see as critical to pan-European and global success and key markets in which we need to participate.”
Greig Brown added: “The acquisition is a natural step in the Europa journey, building on our growth as a private company to now being part of a larger international group with a more diverse range of service offerings.
“As part of Bilfinger, Europa will benefit from the impressive combination of both organisations’ strong service cultures, product strength and scaled ability to support growth within our chosen markets. The additional expertise and experience from within Bilfinger presents great opportunities for both our clients and employees.”
