Crown Telecom makes maiden acquisition

CROWN Telecom Solutions, a Bury-based supplier to small and medium-sized businesses, is on the look out for more deals after making its first acquisition.

The firm, which only launched last year, has bought Rochdale-based Strata Communications, an installation, maintenance and communications engineering company. 

Crown Telcom managing director Mark Nicklin told TheBusinessDesk.com the acquisition would push the company’s turnover over £1m in it’s first year.

“We’re backed by the Crown Group, a very large business with £120m turnover  – and we’re looking for more acquisitions – we’d like to  take turnover up to £4.5m to £5m within three years.

“An acquisition fund has been established to support the growth programme and we are keen to identify telecommunications companies, anywhere in the UK, that we can integrate into the Crown business.”

“The market is fragemented and is ripe for consolidation, but we’re still going to be selective in what we do.” 

Nicklin, who has more than 15 year’s experience in the telecoms sector previously built up and sold GP Telecom to Chorley-based Elite Telecom in 2008.

He said the Strata deal is a “perfect fit” for Crown, adding to its technical capability at a time of growing customer demand.

Crown Telecom’s target market is the SME sector. Mr Nicklin said the company’s point of difference was level of service that it can offer: “We have a really experienced, dedicated team, which I think is a differentiator.”

Operations director Graeme Jones added: “Even before the Strata deal, we grew the business by 50% in the last six months and see similar natural growth potential over the next trading period. “