M247 continues growth drive with new data centres and more jobs

The company said it has experienced month-on-month growth since it moved its headquarters to Manchester from London in 2009 – turnover stands at £4m and it expects to grow this to £6m next year.

It now owns all three of its Manchester data centres, having just bought the final one, totalling 7,000 sq ft from landlords Commercial Development Projects with a £1.4m commercial mortgage, arranged with HSBC’s commercial banking team in the North West.

The company acquired ICT support company Axamba, and its hosting arm Web Tapestry this year, and the business’s most recent purchase is hosting company Red Fox. The mortage deal will provide M247 with the physical space needed to continue its growth, whilst investing capital in property, it said.

David Buckle, managing director of M247, said: “We have been developing a long-term business model and it simply makes good sense for us to own our buildings and infrastructure in order to give our customers the peace of mind that they can benefit from a long term relationship. 

“M247 is a well-funded company that will stand up to any financial scrutiny and we have big plans for the future. We receive a lot of visits from our broad range of customers from all around the world who want to see a commitment to quality and security. We appreciate that they each have special requirements and unless we have complete control of our buildings, it would be difficult to offer them the special facilities that I’m sure make all the difference. 

“Also, the somewhat subdued state of the current property market presented an opportunity to us that was just too good to miss. We felt that the price and the timing was just right for us to close the deal and buy right now.”

The company’s newest data centre will be housed in the two adjoining units, which have been knocked through as one building, and it is expected to go live in the next few months. 

M247 will also be opening another location in Kidderminster, where additional sales personnel have been taken on to spearhead a product sales push in the colocation and connectivity markets.

Since the start of the year the company has recruited 10 staff, taking the total to 42 across its sites in Manchester and Kidderminster, and is in the process of recruiting more local talent.

Jonathan Buckle, operations director of M247, said: “We are keen to get the right kind of technical skills matched to our specific needs. Fortunately Manchester has a wealth of this kind of talent and we have taken on some really skilled engineers who will help us in our technical support efforts. We are always interested in talking to individuals who have exceptional Linux and Windows skills and who want to hold on to our coat tails as we grow our business.

 

“We have a team of developers who are busy working on some of the bespoke software that keeps our operation running smoothly and here again, we expect to grow this department in the very near future.”