Gateshead – headquartered environmental and occupational safety group, Lucion Services, is continuing its record of growth with the acquisition of Dorking-based asbestos and environmental consultancy Redhills.
The move will double the size of Lucion’s current business, creating a market leader in the health and safety sector with a 395-strong workforce around the country and a turnover of £25 million.
Lucion Services is a group of environmental and occupational safety management companies that specialise in the identification, measurement, control, remediation and education of risk management.In addition to its North East headquarters, the company has offices in South London, Leicestershire, North Wales, Wolverhampton, Sheffield and Cambridgeshire, employing 180 people with a turnover of £12.2 million.
Dr Patrick Morton, managing director at Lucion Services, said: “We’re delighted to have completed the purchase of Redhills. It’s an exciting move for both companies as we set out on a joint venture that will be game-changing for our industry.
“Rapid growth of the asbestos management market place in recent times has brought with it many challenges. I’m proud to say that as a business we’ve always adapted quickly and been creative in our approach to supporting clients.
“From technological advances to technical skills and knowledge, we have consistently placed ourselves at the cutting edge of industry development. As demand for trusted, quality providers of asbestos management services hits an all-time high, we couldn’t be better placed to join forces in delivering a more efficient, stronger and robust service offering for both Lucion and Redhills clients.”
Headquartered in Dorking, Surrey, with a network of eight regional offices across England, Wales and Scotland, Redhills has a turnover of £12.8 million and employs 215 people, of which 140 form an expert team of highly qualified and experienced environmental consultants, surveyors, analysts and project managers.
The Redhills name will continue as a trading style within Lucion Environmental Ltd and the combined network of regional offices will share back office systems and processes in addition to collaborating on new ideas for innovative service provision.
Dr Lee Carter, managing director at Redhills, said: “The organisations are a great fit for each other and there is huge potential for an exchange of ideas and development, which can only be a good thing for our employees, our customers and the industry.”
The Chairman of Lucion, Jonathan Grant, a partner in Grants Chartered Accountants Leeds, dealt with the Corporate Finance and structuring of the transaction together with Andrew Laycock of Carrick Read Leeds who provided the legal services.
Since its inception in 2002, Lucion has experienced unprecedented growth, both organically and through acquisition. Starting out as Lucion Environmental, the company added Salbrook Vance Consultants and Lucion Training Services to deliver a broader range of services. After spotting niches in the market, it also acquired MPC Remediation in 2013 and Innov8 Safety Solutions followed in 2015.