Computacenter closes in on £100m-revenue French acquisition

BT agrees sale of French networking unit after completing consultation process with works councils

Computacenter has moved a step closer to sealing its acquisition of BT's £100m-revenue, domestic French business.

The duo today agreed the sale of the unit, which Computacenter says will strengthen its position in the French networking market and increase its major domestic customer tally in the country.

The duo entered into exclusive negotiations in March and have now cleared a major hurdle after completing the consultation process with local works councils.

They hope to gain regulatory and competition approval for the transaction before the end of 2020.

The BT unit in question performs management and maintenance of IT and network infrastructure, as well as networking and related professional services

It turned over €118m (£104m) in its fiscal 2019, compared with the €644.7m Computacenter hauled in from France in its latest year.

BT stressed that the transaction is part of a wider transformation at its Global unit, adding that it will retain a "strong" presence in France serving multinational organisations.

"This transaction significantly strengthens our business in France, and we are excited to discuss the benefits with our customers and partners," said Arnaud Lepinois, CEO of Computacenter France.

"We plan to operate the acquired business as a separate subsidiary of Computacenter France, retaining the existing leadership."