Polaris Acquires Falck Safety Services and Falck Fire Academy
Polaris and Falck have signed an agreement whereby Polaris will acquire 100 percent of the shares in Falck Safety Services Holding A/S and take over all Safety Services activities in Falck for an undisclosed sales price. This transaction, expected to close during September 2018, also includes the Falck Fire Academy in the Netherlands.
Falck President & CEO Jakob Riis said, “We are focusing our business and reducing complexity to build leadership in our core business areas. Safety Services is a leader in rescue and safety training. During recent years, Safety Services has reduced cost significantly and is well into its turn-around that was initiated following the recent recession in the oil and gas sector. We have evaluated the future ownership of Safety Services. We believe that Polaris can provide the focus and financial capacity needed to enhance Safety Services’ leadership.”
Polaris is a Danish/Swedish-owned private equity firm with activities across a range of industries and experience building growth companies, including providers of critical services to the renewable energy industry, among others. Partner and CFO at Polaris Henrik Bonnerup said, “Safety Services is an exciting and globally leading company with the broadest range of nationally and internationally accredited training courses in the world. We see good growth opportunities in the company’s markets where increasing safety demands and a higher degree of outsourcing to professional partners generate great potential. Safety Services’ competent employees, its unique offering to customers and the company’s strong market position form a great platform for generating growth and building an even stronger business based on world-class customer service and global operating procedures.”
Torben Harring will continue as CEO of Safety Services under Polaris’ ownership.