UK-based Pure AV acquired by Ricoh in double M&A swoop
Preston-based AV integrator acquired as Ricoh looks to ‘cement its position as one of Europe’s largest AV integrators’
UK-based AV integrator Pure AV has been acquired by Ricoh Europe as part of a duo of acquisitions announced today by the IT services giant as it looks to ‘cement its position as one of Europe's largest AV and workplace integrators'
Founded in Preston in 2003, Pure AV is a specialist AV integrator which claims to have expertise in higher education learning environments as well as commercial and hybrid technology markets.
The Logitech, Poly, Microsoft and Barco partner has 72 employees in the UK across offices in Preston and West Yorkshire.
All Pure AV staff will be retained as part of the acquisition, Ricoh claims, and the firm will continue to operate under its existing name reporting to Ricoh UK.
Ricoh will take on Pure AV's existing sites as part of the acquisition.
The acquisition will bring Ricoh customers new experience and expertise across UCC, AV and workplace management solutions, Ricoh claims.
Edward Hamilton, VP of communication services at Ricoh Europe said: "This is a significant addition to Ricoh's communication services delivery business, both within the UK and at a European level. Not only will it accelerate our organic growth in this sector, it will strengthen our technical design and delivery capability within the corporate, higher education and healthcare markets.
"Leveraging the specialist skills of Pure AV creates opportunities for lifelong learning and up-skilling of Ricoh's existing employees, meaning our customers receive an even more diverse and extensive level of support."
Peter Sutton, Managing Director of Pure AV added: "We're excited to start a new chapter that will allow us to accelerate our long-term growth strategy while delivering best-in-class solutions to our clients in the UK and Europe. Ricoh's worldwide infrastructure and end-to-end managed services expertise, combined with the strength of our design, engineering, and support services, will enable us to deliver powerful solutions on a local and global scale."
The Pure AV acquisition was only one of two M&A moves announced by Ricoh today. The print and IT services giant also announced that it has acquired Denmark-based AV specialist AVC.
With its head office in Horsens, AVC is a team of 56 staff serving around 800 customers in Denmark and globally.
As with the Pure AV acquisition, all AVC staff will be retained as part of the deal and the company will keep its branding, reporting to Ricoh Denmark.
The acquisition will expand Ricoh's AV and workplace capabilities in the Nordic region.
Søren Krogh-Nielsen, MD for Ricoh Denmark and Sweden said: "When looking to further expand our AV and workplace integration capabilities, it was instantly clear that AVC shared our strong people focused culture. The specialist skills and expertise of their people will ensure our customers benefit from even greater dedicated support and enhanced collaboration through leading workplace technology."
Ricoh made a big splash in the UK's IT services market in 2020 when it acquired Godalming-based integrator MTI Technology.
It has also snapped up several other European firms including Dutch reseller Avantage last year - a Microsoft partner with more than 200 staff - as well as German firm DataVision and Poland-based SimplicITy in September 2020.