• Bechtle continues to pursue international acquisition strategy
• IT service provider extends Bechtle’s portfolio of managed services
• Further growth planned in the UK

Bechtle AG acquires Northampton-based ACS Systems UK Ltd. The IT system house is very well established on the British market and enjoys an excellent reputation, building on over 27 years’ experience in IT services. ACS focuses on cybersecurity, modern work concepts as well as managed IT and cloud services, offering customers its own cloud hosting capacities. The IT service provider covers a wide customer spectrum from regional companies to large corporations and the public sector. In the past, Bechtle direct UK and ACS have already delivered a number of successful customer projects together, and by joining the Bechtle Group, ACS co-founder Jon Thorpe is securing the company a future-oriented succession plan in good time. The executive management team of ACS will remain in their current roles and oversee the process of integrating the company into the Bechtle Group together with James Napp, Managing Director of Bechtle direct UK.

With this purchase, Bechtle is continuing to effect its acquisition strategy, which for the first time saw sites outside Germany, Austria and Switzerland added to the IT System House & Managed Services segment in 2021. After expanding the segment into the Netherlands, Bechtle can now also strengthen its foothold in the British market with a much-expanded portfolio and the aim to establish a joint managed services platform to support customers together.

Connecting dots in geography and offering

Founded in 1995, ACS has 93 employees working out of Northampton, with the system house ideally located between Bechtle’s Chippenham and Manchester branches. The ACS portfolio centres on technologies for the modern workplace, data centre and cyber security solutions, and managed services, perfectly complementing Bechtle’s current activities in the UK.

Future-oriented succession

Co-founder and CEO, Jon Thorpe is set to retain his current role at ACS. “Having co-founded the company, it was very important to me to know the company will be in good hands down the road, both for our colleagues and our customers. Together with Bechtle, we’re well poised to keep growing while ensuring consistent, long-term support for our customers during their digital transformation. I’m very much looking forward to this new chapter in our company’s history,” says Jon Thorpe.

Strong competitive position in the UK

Bechtle has been successfully established on the UK market for over 20 years and provides companies and public sector customers with a comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software, solutions and services. In 1997, Bechtle launched their first UK branch in Plymouth, moving to Chippenham in 1999. In 2019, a second branch was opened in Manchester, one of the fastest growing British cities. Bechtle currently employs some 120 people across these two locations, generating revenues well above 110 million euros. The current financial year has also seen Bechtle direct UK enjoy an extraordinary growth dynamic.

Stronger foothold in the market

“We see excellent prospects on the horizon of the British market with ACS. We already have a successful track record together and are very positive that, by joining forces, both companies can offer huge added value in terms of end-to-end customer support. The two teams complement each other perfectly,” says Konstantin Ebert, Executive Vice President for France, Benelux and UK, Bechtle AG.

James Napp, Managing Director, Bechtle direct UK: “I’ve known ACS for many years and have always enjoyed working with Jon Thorpe. ACS has a very experienced and highly capable team and will undoubtedly put us in a position to accelerate our growth and expand our offering for our customers. The cultural fit could not be better and we look forward to the opportunity to scale our mutual business together and become one of the top 10 IT solutions providers in the UK.”

As is usual, the purchase price and conditions remain confidential.