Actimax kick-starts M&A drive with Universal buyout

Synova Capital backs Essex comms reseller's quest to reach £40m sales mark

Comms reseller Actimax is set to make more acquisitions this year after tying up a deal to buy competitor Universal with the backing of Synova Capital.

Startup private equity house Synova has ploughed cash into Basildon-based Actimax. The VAR's managing director John Massey (pictured) told ChannelWeb that he retains "a significant shareholding" in the newly incorporated Actimax Holdings, which has taken ownership of Hertforshire-based Universal Office Automation.

"Universal and Actimax together will provide the ability the customer needs to supply product on a national scale," said Massey. "We will have a lot of engineers and lot of skill sets."

Universal boss Terry Hunt will be moving on in the coming months, with Massey set to take charge of the enlarged operation. Both brand names will be kept, said Massey, and Synova will give him the autonomy to run the business.

Massey asserted that the company "will be making further acquisitions this year" to help facilitate plans to turn Actimax into a £40m turnover operation inside two years.

"[Other acquisitions] could be of a similar type [to Universal], or we could look at different strategic acquisitions that give us a skill set that we haven't got," he added.