Equistone-backed Apogee acquires Direct Business Systems

Apogee Corporation Ltd has completed the acquisition of Direct Business Systems, a leading independent provider of multi-functional copiers, printers, scanners and support services based in Glasgow.

Established in 1995, Direct Business Systems is a family-led business with a strong reputation for customer-focused local support and service built up over 21 years of trading. The firm counts many high profile organisations amongst its client base including distillers Whyte&Mackay, charity Sense Scotland and the logistics specialist the Malcolm Group. DBS provides technology from four different manufacturer partners and the service operation supports an installed base of nearly 1,500 devices.

DBS will be fully integrated into the Apogee Group and Directors Eric Chambers and Anne Chambers will continue to lead the business in Glasgow.

The acquisition comes after Apogee secured a significant investment from private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe in September 2016 to help the firm target growth through further acquisitions in the UK and Europe.

Jason Collins, Apogee Joint CEO, said: “Expanding our operation in Scotland has been one of our priorities for this year and I’m really delighted we have completed the DBS acquisition and achieved this goal. The reputation DBS has is phenomenal, Eric and Anne have built a business with true customer vision and great service support, and I’m looking forward to welcoming them into the Apogee Group to drive our growth in Scotland.

”Eric Chambers, Managing Director of DBS, who alongside his wife and fellow Director Anne set the business up back in 1995, commented: “Our philosophy has always been ‘we see our business from a different point of view - Yours!’ meaning we must always understand to what our customers need and perceive. This attitude has served us well for 21 years, winning and retaining business by looking after them properly, and now it’s time to take that a step further. As part of the Apogee Group we will be able to help our customers embrace the benefits of more advanced document and process technology, the portfolio and specialist resources Apogee has in-house is impressive and we are very excited to be part of this.”

This is the third acquisition Apogee Corporation has completed this year.