Exertis bolsters Samsung bond with latest UK acquisition

Distributor buys 60-man mobile phone and tablet refurbishment outfit for undisclosed sum

Exertis has bought refurbishment firm MTR in a move designed to strengthen its ties with key vendor partner Samsung.

Essex-based MTR has 60 staff and partners with retailers, mobile handset manufacturers and insurance firms to source and refurbish mobile phones and tablets for resale in the UK and abroad.

Having only been founded in 2011, MTR generated revenues of close to £11m in its fiscal 2016.

This is not the first time one of the big distributors has snapped up a refurbishment firm in recent years, with Arrow buying another Essex-based outfit, RDC, in 2015.

It is also just the latest UK buy for Exertis, following last year's moves on Siracom, Hammer and Medium.

MTR's tight partnership with Samsung will enable Exertis to "deepen its entanglement" with what is one of its key vendors, and bolster its refurbishment and reverse logistics prowess more generally, Exertis said.

In a statement, Gerry O'Keeffe, Exertis UK & Ireland managing director, said: "MTR has enjoyed considerable success in providing refurbishment capabilities in the mobile and tablet device market. The recent impressive growth in revenue and profitability is a testament to the reputation that it has earned in the channel, borne out of years of refurbishment experience, a sophisticated IT infrastructure and also continued investment in its impressive high-tech and scalable refurbishment facility. We are very excited to add this success story to the Exertis family and are looking forward to continued growth and providing further added value for our suppliers and customers."

Steve Healy, MTR managing director, said "As Exertis and MTR's core values are so well aligned, this acquisition made complete sense. The benefits and opportunities of this exciting new chapter will extend to our existing and new customers and vendors alike, further enhancing the range of services and products offered. By leveraging the complementary strengths of both companies, we can only add to what is already an exciting proposition for the relationships currently held. We look forward to working with the Exertis management teams and building on the success of both companies."