North West telecoms company snapped up in Babble deal

A North West IT and telecoms company has been acquired by UK-wide technology group Babble, for an undisclosed sum.

It has acquired Active, which has bases in Stockport and Ellesmere Port, providing expertise across unified comms, mobile and cyber, with more than 500 customers in various sectors across the North of England.

Active’s chief executive, Mark Boyle, will initially remain as part of the new combined organisation.

Babble says the acquisition reinforces its commitment to the North West adding additional scale, presence, capability and expertise following the 2021 acquisition of Concert and 2020 acquisition of Lake.

Babble now has staff and offices in Winsford, Ellesmere Port and Stockport. Nationally it has sites in London, Shoreham-by-Sea, Burton, Newcastle and Dumfries.

Acquiring regional businesses, which are embedded into their communities, means Babble can continue to deliver bespoke solutions based on a business’s unique needs.

Matt Parker, Babble CEO, said: “We’re excited to have the opportunity to acquire a business of Active’s quality and that its CEO, Mark, will be helping us on our ongoing journey.

“His experience of business in the North is unparalleled and we are both aligned in Babble’s mission to help ambitious businesses succeed in this region.”

Mark Boyle said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Active’s customers and staff.

“Being part of a company like Babble means we can provide an even better service to our customers and provide them more opportunities to grow. We’ll make sure that they continue to receive the same level of excellent service as before, with a seamless integration into the Babble family.”

Since 2018, Babble has completed 17 acquisitions in the UK leading to revenues of more than £40m last year, and in 2021 it was the most acquisitive technology company in the UK.

Following the acquisition of Active, Babble now has more than 5,000 customers.

A team at Hurst advised Active, including Ben Bradley and Max Perry from Hurst corporate finance, and Adrian Young and Sarah Haley from Hurst’s tax team.

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