Acme Facilities gobbles-up catering firm

AN East Lancashire company has made a strategic bolt-on acquisition, strengthening its national presence.

Blackburn company Acme Facilities Group, which provides catering, refrigeration, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)  and fabrication services has bolstered its catering division after buying Severn Catering Services.

Acme, which is owned by Pentland Group, best known for its sports brands and its stake in JD Sports, now has sales of around £30m and 200 staff.

Severn Catering Services also known as SCS is based in Gloucester and has been trading since 1985 and has around 30 staff.

It provides breakdown service and preventative maintenance cover to a wide range of public and private sector organisations.  It has a strong network of engineers spread across the country and covers most major UK cities, in particular, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Chris Allen, managing director of Acme said: “We are delighted with this latest acquisition and welcome Chris Hopkins and all the SCS employees into the group.

“SCS joining the group supports our vision of becoming the customer’s single source solutions provider. This deal strengthens our engineering coverage and enhances Acme’s expanding catering division while SCS will be able to offer their customers additional services such as the supply and installation of commercial catering equipment, refrigeration and HVAC.”

SCS director Chris Hopkins added: “It is with great pleasure and excitement that I join The Acme Facilities Group and assist their expansion.  I am looking forward to working with Acme and this deal ensures we can continue to deliver the fast, efficient and reliable service the catering industry has come to expect.”

Lancashire law firm Forbes advised Acme on the deal. The transaction was led by solicitor Nick Pickup with assistance from Jayne Hart. Pickup said: “Severn Catering Services is a successful business and their acquisition by the Acme Facilities Group fits in perfectly with its plan for strategic growth.”