Bournemouth’s 4Com completes second acquisition in six months

Bournemouth-based business telephone systems provider 4Com has acquired Eastern Telephones Limited, its second acquisition in six months.

Eastern Telephones Limited, better known as Eastern Voice and Data, is a Norwich-based firm which was established in 1992. It provides telecoms services to a range of organisations in both the private and public sector.

Due diligence on the acquisition was carried out by Andrew Nelson from Cowgills’ Transaction Services team.

Gary Scutt, 4Com’s CEO, said: “We talk to a lot of companies as part of our acquisitions process, and from the outset we were impressed with how the team at Eastern have grown their business.

“As with our acquisition of Midshire Telecom, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity here, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them into the 4Com Group.”

John Pennington, Director at Eastern Voice and Data, made a point of recognising his team: “We are extremely proud of the reputation that we have forged in the industry. On behalf of the Directors, I’d like to thank our incredibly talented team for their hard work in helping us to reach this point.”

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Fellow Eastern Voice and Data Director, Russell Marriott, said: “We’ve been impressed with the diligence, patience and support that 4Com have shown throughout this process. From the outset, they’ve been up-front and honest with us, and supported us as a smaller business to help both parties reach the desired goal.”

Dean Cartledge, 4Com’s Chief Operating Officer, discussed the process around this and other acquisitions at 4Com: “We understand that deciding to sell a business can be an emotional process. The team at Eastern have grown the company from its infancy to its current profitable, well-regarded state, so we were particularly pleased to be able to assist them throughout our discussions to reach a deal that worked for all parties.

“We believe in being up-front and honest in our communication with potential acquisitions, and that’s been crucial in completing this deal with John, Russell, and the team at Eastern.”

Back in May, 4Com completed their acquisition of Midlands-based Midshire Telecom, in a deal advised on by law firm Moore Barlow, which will see 4Com deliver new products and services to its customer base while introducing its business telephone networking to Midshire’s existing clients.

Gary added, “Following on from the successful acquisition of Midshire Telecom in May, we wanted to continue to supplement our growth by acquiring other suitable companies.

“We are delighted to conclude this deal with Eastern Voice and Data, and we’re keen to talk to other telecoms companies who might be considering either selling their entire business, or part of their customer base.”

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An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated 4Com acquired Moore Barlow in May. In actuality, 4Com acquired Midshire Telecom in a deal advised on by Moore Barlow.

Featured image credit: 4Com