Expanding Leeds VAR on the acquisition trail

The Blue Logic Group has been growing strongly and bought one firm so far

Leeds IT reseller and support services specialist Blue Logic is continuing its growth trajectory and has flagged an intention to acquire other firms if suitable opportunities emerge.

Dave Helm, sales and marketing director of Blue Logic, said the provider grew revenue another £1m to reach £4.58m last year, and expects to expand faster and add even more staff this year.

"The Blue Logic computer business will turn over £5m and the group of three companies £6m by the end of this year – slightly higher and faster," Helm said.

The IT part is the largest business in the group, but its digital and creative agency arm, Blue Logic Digital, also recently bought local peer Coolpink, a £1m firm with 12 staff, which had entered administration after major client DFS took its creative projects back in-house.

Helm (pictured in front of Blue Logic's Leeds office extension, with managing director Mark Ambler and technical director Chris Ambler to the right) said the group definitely isn't ruling out further acquisitions.

"We are on the hunt, if you like. We are always talking to accountants and liquidators and others to see if there are other companies that might be a good fit," he said.

Eleven staff have been added in the past six months, bringing the total to 66 so far, with "at least four" more roles likely to be filled by the end of September. A new 1,200-square-foot extension on top of one of the firm's two buildings could seat another 20, so there should be plenty of room.

Expansion is currently focused on clients in Yorkshire and the Humber – including supermarket chain Morrisons – although Blue Logic also serves many locations in Lancashire. National growth is likely only to follow once the company has grown to capacity within the local market, Helm indicated.

"There's a lot of business around here," he said.

Given the recession and the firm's original shape, it also has taken a slightly unexpected path, diversifying into creative work and cabling with Blue Logic Electrical, the third business in the group.

The tripartite structure was not about strategy so much as simply listening to customers and moving on opportunities as they appeared, however different they seemed to be.

"When we set up seven and a half years ago, I didn't think it would take this path, or do as well as it has," Helm confirmed.

Blue Logic is a Sage 200 partner that provides IT infrastructure and support services including support, virtualisation, and cloud computing, across a range of industries, working with vendors such as Microsoft, HP, Dell, Symantec, Zen, Veeam, Rise and Autotask.