Melton, East Yorkshire-based Needlers, suppliers or PPE, safety and hygiene products, has been bought for £40m by Electrocomponents.
Needlers has a particular specialism in food hygiene, with an established customer base among UK food manufacturers. The company also provides value-added services which include technical expertise, consultancy and video training aids and has two private label brands, Pro-Fit and Reldeen.
The company will join Electrocomponents’ portfolio of brands, which includes RS Components (RS), Allied Electronics & Automation, RS PRO, OKdo, DesignSpark and IESA. Needlers will benefit from the scale and international spread of the broader Group, giving it the opportunity to expand.
Lindsley Ruth, Electrocomponents' Chief Executive Officer, said: “Needlers is a very good business, aligned to our strategy of selectively adding high-quality, value-creating bolt-on acquisitions to the Group. Needlers is a very high-quality company that we have been following for a long time and significantly enhances our safety, hygiene and PPE offering which is a critical capability in today’s world.
“In the past five years we have transformed Electrocomponents into a strong, focused, customer-centric organisation on a clear growth trajectory. We are now taking the business to the next level. Whilst driving organic growth will always be our primary focus, Needlers demonstrates how our disciplined approach to acquisitions can bring valuable capabilities and products into the Group.”
Mark Day, Needlers’ Managing Director, commented: “We are excited about our future as part of RS and the broader Electrocomponents Group. This will enable us to accelerate the growth of our business and to reach new markets with our expertise within PPE, safety and hygiene products.”
