Acquisition fuels Servo expansion

As well as expanding, the company has thrown in its lot with Windows NT

Servo Computer Services has increased its turnover to more than u50 million by snapping up the Computer Centre (Peterborough) for an undisclosed sum.

It also boosted its geographical profile as the company has offices in Peterborough, Lincoln, Northampton and Cambridge. The group now employs more than 300 people.

Servo chairman Bill Smith will become chairman of the Computer Centre outlets and Philip Wainwright, ex-MD of the group, will keep a seat on the board as a director.

At the same time, the skates went a little further under Novell and SCO as Servo announced it will concentrate on Windows NT. Servo is predicting sales and support revenue of more than u10 million a year just on Microsoft products.

Computer Centre offices will now focus on MS-only business, including Exchange, the Internet, legacy integration and migration, client/server development, Wan solutions and management systems.

One source at the company said it will continue to have SCO and Novell technology within the company but will concentrate on MS products.

Smith said that Servo had not completed its acquisition policy. It will look to grow through acquisition as well as organically.

Earlier this year, Servo beat more than five rivals to some of the assets of the Holdene Group, including its MS project support team (PC Dealer, 3 July). Servo is owned by Anglia Telecommunications Group, of which Smith is chairman. At the time he described Holdene as a 'jigsaw fit'.

The latest acquisition gives Servo a spread across the Midlands and the North.