Apogee could not reveal the value of the deal, which went through on Monday evening (24 October), but negotiations lasted for around two months.
Apogee group marketing director Gary Downey said: “It was one of those arrangements where it was good timing and a good fit for both parties.
“We have a Scottish operation but this gives us a great amount of resource for service coverage as DBS has well-established service operations. Equally, there is a substantial customer base that DBS has been looking after for 21 years but the portfolio we provide is a lot wider, particularly around document processes and document workflows. It’s a good, complementary acquisition.”
Founded in 1995 by husband-and-wife team Eric and Anne Chambers, DBS supplies local businesses with printers, scanners and copiers, as well as providing support services. Supporting an installation base of around 1,500 devices, clients include Whyte & Mackay and Sense Scotland.
Both directors will remain in their jobs as DBS is integrated with Apogee and all of its staff will be kept on.
Downey added that the intention is to rebrand DBS under the Apogee Group branding in the near future.
“As part of the Apogee Group we will be able to help our customers embrace the benefits of more advanced document and process technology,” said Eric Chambers.
So far this year, Apogee has made two other acquisitions. It purchased North Wales-based Kon-X in March and Hanover, Germany-based BAS Burosysteme in April, both in order to gain a bigger presence in their respective areas.
Both companies have been brought under the Apogee branding and Downey said they had been “a good fit”.
“This is an ongoing thing to be honest,” he added.
“We’re constantly looking across the market in the UK to either strengthen our coverage, bring in new resources or gain a new client base. We operate fairly extensively in Europe but want more presence in the key cities, which is part of the strategy.”
457-staff Apogee is projected to reach £120m turnover at the end of this year. Its headquarters are in Maidstone but it has sites across the UK and Europe.
