Integral plans growth in refrigeration

UK: Integral UK Ltd says it plans to grow in the refrigeration sector following its recent acquisition of a major part of WR Refrigeration’s business.

Following the deal with administrators PWC, Integral is now responsible for delivering nationwide contracts for several high street food retailers, including; Tesco, Morrison’s and Waitrose. Added to this is a contract with The Co-op Group recently awarded to Integral before the latest acquisition.

Integral has also acquired WR’s refrigeration training centre in Birmingham and a cabinet supply and refurbishment operation, giving the company access to highly regarded Italian-made Arneg display cases.

The acquisition adds annual revenue of approximately £30m to Integral’s £280m turnover multi-disciplinary property and building engineering services empire.

Integral UK Ltd provides a comprehensive range of property and building engineering maintenance services to more than 16,000 clients in 40,000 locations across the UK.

Integral says its entrance into the refrigeration sector is part of planned strategic growth into complementary technical disciplines. It will operate the newly acquired business alongside its recently won refrigeration maintenance contract with Co-op’s South West and Wales and London, South East Regions.

The acquisition sees the transfer of more than 200 fully qualified refrigeration engineers to Integral’s existing team of 1300 field technicians, which operate from 16 branches across the country.

Delighted

Bryan Glastonbury, managing director of Integral UK Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have made this acquisition, which safeguards a substantial number of jobs and ensures continuity of service to customers.

“Refrigeration has been on our radar for some time as a key target area for growth. The synergies with our existing M&E maintenance services are obvious. Adding refrigeration enriches our offering to existing clients and expands the range of services we can deliver to new clients.”

He added: “Integral’s financial strength and technical capabilities enable us to invest and harness existing expertise alongside refrigeration. Given the changes taking place in the refrigeration market, in particular the drive towards green technology and higher engineering standards, we are excited about the future potential.”

Integral maintains a policy of carrying out the vast majority of service and maintenance work in-house by its own qualified technicians and engineers. Some 86% of all activity is carried out by Integral’s directly employed teams, enabling the company to ensure a high quality service is delivered.

“We will continue and expand this to support our growing refrigeration activities. The newly acquired refrigeration training academy based in the Midlands is a world-beater, with examples of all the major alternatives now being trialled. It is a unique facility and gives us a competitive edge in this fast developing area, and will help us develop the skills needed for the future.”

Integral has also acquired WR’s 24/7 service centre at Thurmaston, which operates a round-the-clock monitoring operation for clients. It will work in tandem with Integral’s existing service centre.

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