Anticimex acquires parts of ISS pest control

• Anticimex acquires 100% of ISS pest control activities in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland for an enterprise value of approximately DKK 2 billion
• As part of the transaction ISS and Anticimex have agreed on a strategic partnership covering the 12 countries in which ISS pest control activities are acquired, making Anticimex the preferred partner for the delivery of pest control services to ISS customers
• The combination of Anticimex and ISS pest control creates an international pest control company with potential to further consolidate a highly fragmented European pest control market through growth and acquisitions
• For ISS the divestment reflects an increased strategic focus in the affected countries resulting in a more focused business platform and will furthermore contribute to the continued deleverage of ISS

The combined group, to be named Anticimex, will have more than 3 000 employees, including the franchises, serving around 2.2 million customers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In 2012, thecombined pro-forma sales amounted to approximately SEK 3.2 billion (EUR 385 million).

As part of the transaction ISS and Anticimex have agreed on a strategic partnership covering the 12 countries in which ISS’ pest control activities are acquired, where Anticimex will become the preferred partner for the delivery of pest control services to ISS customers.

“The combination of Anticimex and the ISS pest control activities we have acquired from ISS creates an international pest control company and is a perfect match between two specialist companies that share the same business philosophy, local entrepreneurship and focus on pest control. We look forward to build on our strong market positions and leverage our leading know-how, quality services, methods and values.

We are also very happy to have agreed on a strategic alliance partnership with ISS giving access to the ISS clients and look forward to becoming an even more interesting partner for insurance companies and other partners and clients in Anticimex markets,” comments Olof Sand, CEO of Anticimex.

“As part of our journey to become the world’s greatest service organisation we are increasingly streamlining and strengthening our business platform. Ahead of our discussions with Anticimex we carefully considered our ownership of the pest control activities in the relevant countries. As we concluded the review it was clear that our pest control business in these countries was not central to our strategy going forward and that Anticimex would be in a better position to realise the full potential of these activities. Through the strategic partnership with Anticimex we will continue to offer our customers in these markets high quality pest control services,” said Jeff Gravenhorst, CEO of ISS A/S.

“As outlined in The ISS Way Strategy we will use the proceeds from this divestment to further deleverage ISS. In addition, as a consequence of this divestment the ISS management in the affected countries will be able to further strengthen focus on those activities which are core to their local business platforms,” Gravenhorst continued.

Anticimex was founded 1934 in Sweden and has since then enjoyed 79 years of uninterrupted growth. Anticimex is today a leading Northern European service company providing safe and healthy indoor environments through inspections, guarantees and insurance. Services include pest control, food hygiene assurance, dehumidification, fire prevention as well as property inspections and energy surveys.

The company serves customers within both the commercial and residential sector and has an exceptionally strong brand with a unique market position, a loyal customer base and a successful business model. Anticimex has its own distribution channels as well as franchise networks and partners such as insurance companies and real estate agents, and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

ISS has grown its pest control operations via acquisitions since 2002 and is one of Europe’s largest providers of pest control, with leading positions also in Australia and New Zealand. The business is primarily focused towards the commercial sector but does also serve the residential sector, especially in Italy and Australia. After the transaction, ISS will continue to have material pest control activities primarily in emerging markets.

The transaction is subject to approval from the relevant authorities and is expected to close at the end of May.