BES Group makes first overseas acquisition

Historic testing, inspection, certification and compliance group BES has made its first ever overseas acquisition.

The Warrington-based firm, whose roots go back to 1859, has bought Dutch certification, verification and inspection body ECH Groep, which specialises in pressure inspections.

ECH, with its head office in Ede, Gelderland, and employing more than 45 people, has been operating for over 25 years and was one of the first inspection bodies designated by the Dutch Government.

BES, whose work covers a number of sectors - inspecting, testing and monitoring the safety and operational efficiency of plant and machinery, civil infrastructure, road tankers and more - said the deal was a huge milestone. It added that it was ‘very excited to now have a permanent presence in Europe’.

“We are thrilled to have completed our first European acquisition. We have been exploring the overseas market for a business that is aligned to the wider BES Group in terms of customer focus and internal culture. ECH Groep is a great fit, and we are excited to have welcomed their team of highly skilled risk management professionals, well known for their leading accreditation, to our company,” said John Campbell, BES Group CEO.

Jetze Rodenhuis, Director ECH Groep, added: “We have had a fantastic time as a standalone business and know joining BES Group will allow us to build on this even further. Delivering for our customers continues to be our priority, and we will do this with the support of the wider group. We are all very excited about our future with BES Group.”

ECH Groep is the 18th new business BES has purchased since it became an independent company in 2015. Prior to that, it was part of insurance group RSA.

BES employs around 1,750 people and aims to grow this number with ‘even more acquisitions’ in the coming months.

"Growing in this way means we can provide our customers with a leading end to end risk management solution as a trusted advisor, and this is extremely important to us,” said John Breheny, Group Corporate Development Director.

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