Redstone adds to acquisition tally

Reseller snaps up rival VAR to take acquisition tally to four in eight months

Acquisition hungry VAR Redstone has snapped up its fourth firm in eight months after agreeing to acquire the business of networking VAR Comunica for £22m.

Comunica, which has a largely blue-chip client base across various industries including financial and professional services, retail, energy, media, transport and public sector, will bolster Redstone’s converged solutions offering and give the VAR more traction in vertical markets.

Redstone’s past conquests includes VAR The Tolerant Group, which it acquired last year for £3.75m (CRN, 24 July) and mobility distributor Symphony which it acquired for £17.3m in June 2006.

Martin Balaam, chief executive of Redstone, said: "The acquisition of Comunica is in line with Redstone's strategy of making select acquisitions while retaining a focus on improving the profitability and growth of the Group's existing activities. This acquisition increases Redstone's reach in the converged solutions arena.

"Comunica's success in winning business from blue chip firms for large infrastructure projects sits ideally with Redstone's own successes in converged solutions with securing business from both the corporate and public sectors. Redstone is eager to work with Comunica's existing customer base, which brings further opportunities for cross-selling the Group's services," he said.