G4S Int'l Acquires Archive Solutions

Growing Record Management Business in Kenya

G4S International, a subsidiary firm of the global security and safety risk conglomerate G4S Securicor, has acquired a majority stake in Archive Solutions Limited, a market leader in corporate archiving and document management business in Kenya, as announced in a press release on June 19, 2009.

The acquisition, done through G4S Security Services (K) Limited, is seen as a strategic move by the company toward information security management. Coming in the wake of reported declining profits from G4S's local parcel operations, the acquisition is expected to bolster the organization's revenue base and create a new market niche for its services in the region.

Record Management and Archiving in Kenya

Archive Solutions, a 4-year-old standalone, has been successful in securing major clients in the region. While record management and archiving is still a relatively new core business area in Kenya and the entire East African region, the financial clout and size of G4S is seen as a good boost to Archive Solutions in its quest to grow its soft-documentation line.

ScanGroup, a leading media management group in East and Central Africa, has been using a similar expansion strategy to create more revenue and grow its client base. Bharat Thakrar, the founder and CEO of ScanGroup, has acquired majority holding in a number of upstarts in the region, positioning it as a leading corporate entity.

Similarly, AccessKenya, an information communication technology company has witnessed similar buyouts by its CEO, Jonathan Somen.