Mills & Reeve advises French firm on UK acquisition of IT distributor

Mills & Reeve has advised listed French IT server manufacturer 2CRSi on its acquisition of a 70% stake in UK-based Boston Limited as part of its international expansion.

Mills & Reeve acted alongside FIDAL, the largest law firm in France, on the acquisition. The two firms have a formal affiliation and the similarities between them mean they regularly work together to provide clients with advice that serves their interests both in the UK, France and beyond.

Boston, which is based in St Albans, is a global player in the integration, sales and marketing of IT equipment that uses the most advanced technology on the market.

Founded in 1992, Boston employs 170 staff and generated consolidated revenues of £89.5m in its 2018-2019 financial year. It operates in 40 countries, including Germany, Australia, South Africa, India and Russia.

The acquisition, which has brought together 2CRSi’s design and manufacturing expertise and Boston’s value-added distribution and systems integration know-how, has broadened 2CRSi’s international operations and further strengthened the companies’ long-standing relationship.

Alain Wilmouth, founder, chairman and CEO of 2CRSi, said: “This transaction is the result of a great deal of work together, based on mutual trust, long-standing relationships and shared values based on an unyielding drive to achieve performance and innovation. This acquisition marks a key milestone for our group: today, 2CRSi is changing dimension and is considerably enhancing its development potential.”

2CRSi is based in Strasbourg and has subsidiaries in Manchester, Dubai and San Jose in the Silicon Valley. It specialises in the design and manufacturing of very high-performance IT servers and has around 200 clients in 25 countries. In 2018, 2CRSi generated consolidated revenues of €65.2m.

Mills & Reeve partner Chris Ross, who led the team which included fellow partner Kevin Lowe, Alex Kenworthy and Nina Latham, plus FIDAL’s Strasbourg based corporate partner Ludovic Gloeckler, said: “2CRSI is looking to extend its global reach and Boston fits perfectly with that strategy. The two companies have excellent synergies and their complimentary skills of sales and marketing, and technical expertise will create an enlarged group that will be a major force in the sector. This is the second deal we have completed for 2CRSI and a great example of the firm acting for an international business in the technology sector”

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