Interoute seals Easynet deal

Multi-million pound buyout finally given the green light as firm looks to become Europe's top ICT provider

A month after the deal was first mooted, Interoute has closed its £402m acquisition of European managed services provider Easynet.

It was given the go-ahead by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) this week, after the deal was first announced in early September.

Interoute claims the move has almost doubled the size and scale of its enterprise ICT services business, meaning on a pro forma basis, the firm would have had revenues of over €700m in the 12 months ended 30 June 2015.

Going forward the combined group will trade under the Interoute brand, but until this is fully implemented, Easynet will operate under its own brand name with the moniker: "Easynet, an Interoute company".

The firms claim the merger will not only bring increased products and services, but also an enhanced and expanded set of skills and capability to serve both companies’ existing customers, as well as attracting new ones.

Gareth Williams, chief executive of Interoute, said: “The completion of this acquisition is a big step forward as we continue on our path to create Europe’s leading, independent ICT provider. The additional scale, skills and services within the combined business will bring significant benefits to our national and multi-national customers and prospects."