Banbury security company buys French aviation security business

Published by

Nicky Godding

Westminster Group Plc, a leading supplier of managed and technology-based security across the world has bought French aviation security and support services company Euro Ops SRL.

The acquisition of Euro Ops provides Westminster with a French base and expands the company's aviation management team.

Euro Ops is a small company, but Westminster says it an additional revenue stream with growth potential while its founder Vincent Toscani brings additional skills, contacts, and access to contracting manpower to the Group.

Through its sister company Euro Ops International (also trading as ICare), Euro Ops provides aviation support services such as airport security, aircrew management, humanitarian logistics, operations & dispatch and ground handling. The business operates primarily in emerging markets particularly in Francophone Africa providing humanitarian assignments and is responsible for sending teams all over the world to assist the UN and NGO's.

The acquisition has been funded from the Company's existing resources.

Peter Fowler, Chief Executive of Westminster Group, said: "We have been exploring ways to develop the Francophone market for some time and the acquisition of Euro Ops now provides us with an ideal opportunity to grow our business in such regions, both from Euro Ops existing business activities and also through the expansion of Westminster's airport and managed services business.

"I am equally delighted that Vincent Toscani will remain with the business. Vincent is a knowledgeable and well-respected operator within the sector and is a valuable addition to our airport security management team and will help drive the business forward."

Vincent Toscani, founder of Euro Ops said: "Having provided services to Westminster in the past I have always been impressed by their professionalism and I am now very happy to be part of the Group."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.