Company looks to expand into hospitality, retail and rail sectors
French consultant Artelia has bought UK consultant Appleyards, as part of a bid to more than quadruple its UK revenue to 拢20m-30m within four years.
Artelia鈥檚 拢6m UK division completed the deal with 拢8m-turnover Appleyards on 6 March.
Artelia鈥檚 UK managing director Phil Brumby said the acquisition would help the division鈥檚 parent company - which has a turnover of 拢300m and 38 offices around the world - 鈥渁chieve critical mass in the UK鈥�.
The deal between the two partner-owned firms creates a 145-strong UK consultant.
Brumby said the deal would allow Artelia to offer a broader range of services in the UK.
Artelia鈥檚 UK division has, until now, worked entirely with the private sector, whereas 80% of Appleyard鈥檚 revenue is from the public sector.
Appleyards chief executive Colin Morrell said the tie-up would enable the UK consultant to export its expertise in infrastructure project financing and education consultancy into international markets where Artelia operates.
Three out of a total of 85 Appleyards staff - including Morrell - will immediately become partners at Artelia, although this number will rise to a 鈥渄ozen鈥� over the next couple of years.
Ten out of 60 Artelia UK staff are partners.
Morrell said the Appleyards brand would be phased out 鈥渁t the right time鈥�.
Artelia鈥檚 biggest clients in Europe are petrol giants Exxon and Shell and the firm is currently working on a pipeline to refurbish 250 Shell petrol stations in the UK. The company project manages the petrol station development programmes for both companies in Western Europe.
Brumby said the firm was targeting expansion in the hospitality, retail and rail sectors in the UK.
He added: 鈥淭his deal increases the scope of services we can offer clients and reduces our reliance on any one sector.鈥�
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