Esendex snaps up Collstream

Nottingham-headquartered SMS technology firm Esendex has acquired Derby communications services company Collstream, creating a group with a combined turnover of £25m.

Dains Corporate Finance acted as advisors on the sale for Collstream and while the financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, Esendex said it will open the company up to opportunities for further global expansion.

"This acquisition is all about growth," said chief executive Geoff Love. "The intelligent multi-channel messaging services that Collstream offers customers is something that over 7,000 Esendex customers around the world can now benefit from."

Collstream was formed in 2005 and has a strong presence in the debt collection agency market, providing millions of text messages, e mails and voice messages on behalf of customers.

Ian Maxfield, who founded Collstream with Chris Harrison, added: "Esendex’s scale, expertise and proven track record mean that the Collstream team and technology will be able to develop and expand into new sectors and to grow internationally."

Harrison said: "We leave our customers in the best possible hands and this new combined business is going to lead the way for the industry."

The combined group will now have over 130 staff in offices in Derby, Nottingham, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, Madrid and Melbourne.