Acquisition of Allgood Pest Solutions

RNS Number : 1729W

Rentokil Initial PLC

07 February 2017

 

7 February, 2017

ACQUISITION OF ATLANTA BASED ALLGOOD PEST SOLUTIONS

#29 in the PCT magazine list of the largest pest control companies in the USA

41 acquisitions in 2016 with £124m combined annualised revenues

Rentokil Initial plc (FTSE: RTO, "the Company") today announces the acquisition of Allgood Services of Georgia, Inc (which trades as "Allgood Pest Solutions"), a high quality pest control company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and which also operates in Tennessee.  It generated annualised revenues for the 12 months prior to acquisition of $26m (#29 in the PCT magazine list of the largest pest control companies in the USA)*.

Last year, Rentokil Initial acquired 17 businesses in North America, in line with the Company's strategy to accelerate growth in its pest control business and to pursue acquisitions in higher growth markets.  In particular, during the fourth quarter, the Company acquired Isotech Pest Management, a commercial pest control company with annualised revenues for the 12 months prior to acquisition of $13m.  Isotech (#58 in the PCT Top 100 list) is a long-established pest control provider in Los Angeles and Orange Country, and is therefore an excellent density fit with the Company's existing Western Exterminator business.

The pest control market in North America is estimated to be worth just over $8bn p.a. and accounts for c.50% of the market worldwide, and is therefore a key strategic market for the Company.

Value-creating M&A in 2016

During 2016, the Company acquired a total of 41 businesses for £107m (35 in Pest Control) with combined annual revenues of £124m.  In addition to the 17 companies acquired in North America, the Company acquired businesses in ​Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, French Guiana, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. 

In 2017 year to date the Company has acquired 5 businesses - in the UK and Ireland, Australia and Singapore     (four in pest control and one in property care) - with combined annual revenues of approximately £15m.

Andy Ransom, Chief Executive of Rentokil Initial, commented:

"Allgood is an outstanding business with an excellent reputation for customer service and high levels of customer retention.  The acquisition is designed to build scale and customer density in the states of Georgia and Tennessee where the warmer climate means a higher pest intensity.

"In 2016 we acquired 41 businesses, primarily in our Growth and Emerging markets, and our pipeline of acquisitions remains particularly strong."

The Company will announce its Preliminary Results for 2016 on 23 February 2017.

* This acquisition does not include the purchase of Allgood Services, Inc. which is based in Dublin, Georgia, and also operates under the Allgood Pest Solutions brand, outside of the Atlanta market.

ENDS

Notes

Allgood:

·      Allgood operates primarily in the Atlanta metro area, but also includes the northern 2/3rds of the state of Georgia and the eastern 1/3rd of the state of Tennessee. 

·      All the areas that Allgood operates in have strong pest pressures; termite services in particular.

·      The state of Georgia has 10.2m people and is the 8th most populated state in the USA.  

·      The Atlanta metro area is the 9th largest metro area in the USA. 

o  Population of 6.1 million. 

o  17th largest city economy in the world and 8th largest in the USA.

o  Home to the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the USA including world headquarters for Coca Cola, ATT Mobile, Home Depot, Delta Airlines and UPS. 

Isotech:

·      Isotech is one of the largest independent pest control companies in California.

·      LA metro population is c. 13m.

·      Isotech has been featured on US television for several years as 'The Verminators'.

Rentokil Initial:

·      Rentokil Initial is one of the largest business services companies in the world, operating in over 60 countries. The Company offers route-based services including Pest Control, Hygiene and Workwear through teams of local experts.  For more information, visit www.rentokil-initial.com.

·      In North America, Rentokil is the third largest pest control company.  The industry is highly fragmented with approximately 19,000 companies, many of which are small, local family-owned operators.

Enquiries

Investors / Analysts:	Katharine Rycroft	Rentokil Initial plc	07811 270734
Media:	Malcolm Padley	Rentokil Initial plc	07788 978 199
	Ben Woodford/Sam Cartwright	Bell Pottinger	0203 772 2588

 

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