SCC begins acquisition hunt
Corporate reseller records 3.5 per cent jump in continuing UK revenue for fiscal 2013
Corporate reseller SCC is on the hunt for service-led acquisitions after closing the books on its fiscal 2013.
The privately held IT group saw UK sales rise 3.5 per cent to £665.3m in the 12 months to 31 March 2013, stripping out the contribution of distribution arm SDG, which it sold to Azlan last autumn.
Revenue from its continental Europe, including France and the Netherlands, rose 2.2 per cent to £906.7m.
SCC said its UK numbers have been bolstered by an "unprecedented" level of large managed services wins. Recent deals with Marie Curie Cancer Care, Wales & West Utilities, Konica Minolta and GIST, among others, have brought in £50m of revenue, it said.
SCC chief executive James Rigby said: "After a pivotal year in which we have seen the sale of SDG enable us to focus on our core business and the opportunities facing it, SCC is now in a very strong position.
"With revenue increasing across the business and a record number of major contract wins under our belt, we are now proactively seeking service-led acquisitions to expand the company's capabilities."
UK operating profit fell from £9.9m to £7.33m year on year, which it blamed on costs stemming from the SDG disposal and competitive pressures. UK services revenue was stable at £114.5m.
SCC claimed its Secure Multi-Tenanted Cloud service (SMTC), which saw SCC become the first UK outfit to achieve Pan-Government Accreditation, continued to grow following a £3m cloud services win with Mersey Care NHS Trust. Its partnerships with emerging cloud vendors such as FutureGov, Alliantist, IIZUKA and NQC also contributed to the bottom line.
Revenue from continuing operations in France rose 22 per cent to €873m (£732m), although operating profits in the country fell from €6.8m to €2.6m year on year as it absorbed recent acquisition LNA.
Dutch revenue from continuing operations jumped 20 per cent to €103m, while Spanish revenue fell 32 per cent to €49m.