Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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CWS International acquires Irish company Service Matters

CWS International GmbH has announced the acquisition of Service Matters Ltd (SML), an Irish company that specialises in providing products and services to the hygiene, workwear, cleanroom and the facilities management soft services sector.

This further expands the international portfolio of CWS in Ireland and contributes to the company's sustainable growth strategy. As part of the transaction CWS will also acquire the Service Matters business in Northern Ireland.

Following on from the purchase of Specialised Sterile Services (SSE), a specialist in the cleanroom segment, earlier this month, CWS continues its growth strategy in the Irish market. With the acquisition of SML, the company's market share in the Irish hygiene market has grown significantly: CWS now becomes one of the largest providers of workwear, washroom and floorcare rental services in Ireland. As of today, the customer base will grow by 2,600 customers with the business now employing over 750 people in Ireland.

"We are happy to announce the acquisition of majority stake in Service Matters," said Clement Higgins, managing director at CWS Ireland. "SML is a perfect fit to CWS business and contributes to our sustainable growth strategy. By combining our strengths and dedication to customer satisfaction, we offer the best of both companies to become the leading solution and service provider in hygiene services in Ireland.

"Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Vincent Collins, the founder of SML, will remain with the business. Together we will accelerate growth in the Irish hygiene market. We warmly welcome our 88 new colleagues throughout Ireland to the CWS Group."

In response, Vincent says: "We are thrilled to become part of the CWS Group. The synergies and ethos of the two businesses in Ireland are a natural fit, and we look forward to working with our new colleagues in delivering a cleaner, healthier and safer tomorrow for our people and our customers."

Established in 1997, Service Matters' has mainly focused on floorcare rental, washroom services, workwear rental and bespoke protective clothing requirements across many industries. Its operations are concentrated in the East and West of the country, with its current headquarters in Roscommon, and depots in Dublin (Fonthill), Limerick, and Tyrone in Northern Ireland.

CWS group currently employs 11,000 people in 15 countries, generating a turnover of 1.2 billion euros in 2020. It embraces the concept of the circular economy in all areas: materials are reduced, reused and recycled in a resource-saving manner.

www.cws.com / https://servicematters.ie

7th October 2021