Berendsen

Berendsen was a European textile-maintenance and textile-rental business whose roots extended to a Copenhagen trading company established by Sophus Berendsen in 1854. Although the original business began as a wholesaler of iron and glass for the construction sector, the Berendsen name later became associated with professional laundry and textile services. The company supplied, collected, cleaned, maintained and returned textiles used by commercial and institutional customers rather than selling primarily to household consumers. The modern group was assembled through the development of Godfrey Davis, a Finnish-founded car-rental and automotive business, and its subsequent expansion into laundry services. Godfrey Davis entered the London Stock Exchange in 1959. After selling its car-rental and most of its car-dealership activities, the company shifted its strategic emphasis toward textile services. It acquired Sunlight Services in 1987 and Spring Grove Services in 1996, building a significant laundry-services platform in the United Kingdom. In 2002, Davis Service Group acquired Sophus Berendsen for £426 million, bringing the Danish textile-services operation into the wider group. The company also expanded its industrial-cleanroom capabilities through the 2007 acquisition of the textile-services business of Germany's Permaclean. The corporate identity changed as the business evolved. The company operated as Davis Service Group before adopting the Berendsen plc name in January 2011. Under that identity it organized its activities into four principal lines: hospitality, healthcare, workwear, and facility services. Facility services included products and services such as entrance mats, washroom textiles and cleanroom garments. These activities served hotels, restaurants, hospitals, manufacturers, laboratories and other organizations that required reliable textile hygiene, regular replacement and specialized laundering. Berendsen remained a publicly traded company until it became the target of a takeover by French laundry-services group Elis. Elis initially made proposals that Berendsen's board rejected on valuation grounds. A preliminary agreement was reached in June 2017 for a transaction valued at approximately £2.20 billion, and the acquisition was completed in September 2017. Berendsen subsequently became a wholly owned subsidiary of Elis, so Berendsen plc no longer operated as an independent listed company. The business also became associated with a UK competition-law case. In December 2017, the Competition and Markets Authority fined Berendsen Cleanroom Services £1.2 million after finding that it had participated with Micronclean Limited in an unlawful market-sharing arrangement. This regulatory episode occurred after the Elis acquisition and concerned the conduct of the cleanroom-services business. Berendsen's legacy operations are therefore best understood as part of Elis's broader European textile-services organization rather than as a standalone public company.

Berendsen's historical identity combines the legacy of Sophus Berendsen, a Danish trading enterprise, with the later development of Godfrey Davis and its transformation into a textile-services group. Sophus Berendsen established his Copenhagen business in 1854 as a wholesaler of iron and glass for the construction industry. The company became one of Denmark's largest businesses in its field before his death in 1898. His widow continued the enterprise, followed by their son Albert Berendsen after her death. A separate strand of the group's history began with Godfrey Davis, founded in Finland in 1920 as a car-rental company. Godfrey Davis became a London-listed company in 1959. During the following decades it moved away from its original automotive activities. It sold the car-rental business and most of its dealerships, then used acquisitions to build a laundry-services platform. Sunlight Services, a leading laundry business founded in 1900, was acquired in 1987, while Spring Grove Services was acquired in 1996. In 1991, after disposing of most of its dealerships, the group changed its name to Davis Service Group. Its decisive move into the Berendsen name came in 2002, when it acquired Sophus Berendsen for £426 million. This transaction connected the Danish textile-services heritage with Davis's growing laundry network. In 2007, the group further strengthened its position by purchasing the textile-service business of Germany's Permaclean, adding to its industrial and specialized-service capabilities. Peter Ventress became chief executive of Davis Service Group in July 2009. The business was renamed Berendsen plc with effect from 4 January 2011, making the Berendsen identity the principal corporate brand for the group's textile-maintenance activities. Its operating model centered on recurring service relationships: customers received textiles and related products, while Berendsen managed collection, laundering, maintenance and replacement. The business was organized around hospitality, healthcare, workwear and facility services. Facility services encompassed mats, washroom products and cleanroom services, extending the company beyond conventional hotel and hospital laundry. The company faced a strategic turning point in 2017. Elis, a French competitor in the laundry and textile-services sector, made takeover proposals that Berendsen's board initially rejected, arguing that the offers did not adequately value the company. The parties reached a preliminary agreement in June, and the transaction was completed in September 2017. Berendsen thereby became a wholly owned subsidiary of Elis and ceased to be an independent listed group. After the acquisition, Berendsen Cleanroom Services was fined £1.2 million by the UK Competition and Markets Authority in December 2017. The authority found that the business had participated with Micronclean Limited in an unlawful market-sharing arrangement. The case is a significant regulatory event in Berendsen's recorded history, particularly because it involved one of the group's specialist service lines. Berendsen's corporate history ultimately concludes with its absorption into Elis rather than with a separate continuing public-company structure.

• 2017

  Elis acquires Berendsen

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Following takeover negotiations, Elis completed its acquisition of Berendsen in September, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.

• 2011

  Davis Service Group adopts the Berendsen name

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  The corporate name changed to Berendsen plc with effect from 4 January.

• 2007

  Permaclean textile-services acquisition

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquired the textile-service business of Germany's Permaclean.

• 2002

  Acquisition of Sophus Berendsen

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Davis Service Group acquired the Danish Sophus Berendsen business for £426 million.

• 1996

  Acquisition of Spring Grove Services

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Davis Service Group acquired another established laundry-services business.

• 1991

  Corporate transition to Davis Service Group

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  After selling most of its car dealerships and having already exited car rental, the company changed its name to Davis Service Group.

• 1987

  Acquisition of Sunlight Services

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Godfrey Davis acquired Sunlight Services, expanding into the laundry sector.

• 1959

  Godfrey Davis lists on the London Stock Exchange

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  The company became a publicly listed business in London.

• 1920

  Godfrey Davis is founded in Finland

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Godfrey Davis began as a Finnish car-rental company, later becoming the corporate predecessor of the modern textile-services group.

• 1854

  Sophus Berendsen establishes a Copenhagen trading business

  [1]Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org

  Sophus Berendsen founded a wholesaling business dealing in iron and glass for the construction industry.

A business-to-business textile-services provider built around recurring textile rental, collection, laundering, maintenance and replacement. Berendsen's proposition emphasized operational hygiene and convenience for institutional and commercial customers, with specialist capabilities in healthcare, hospitality, workwear and controlled cleanroom environments.

• Textile rental and laundry

  Hospitality textile services

  Services for hotels, restaurants and related hospitality customers, covering the supply, collection, laundering and maintenance of linen and other operational textiles. The model was based on recurring service arrangements rather than one-off product sales.

• Healthcare laundry

  Healthcare textile services

  Specialized textile-maintenance services for healthcare institutions. The offering centered on hygienic processing and dependable availability of healthcare linen and related textiles.

• Workwear rental and laundering

  Workwear services

  Workwear rental and maintenance services for organizations whose employees required managed uniforms or protective garments. Berendsen handled the regular collection, cleaning and return of supplied workwear.

• Facility hygiene services

  Facility services

  A group of facility-related services including entrance mats, washroom textiles and cleanroom solutions. These offerings extended the company's textile expertise into workplace hygiene and controlled-environment operations.

• 2017

  Cleanroom-services market-sharing case

  The Competition and Markets Authority found that Berendsen Cleanroom Services had colluded with Micronclean Limited in a market-sharing arrangement and imposed a £1.2 million fine on Berendsen's business.

  Source

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• 2017

  Acceptance of Elis acquisition agreementM&A

  Background

  Elis made takeover proposals that Berendsen's board initially rejected on the grounds that they undervalued the company.

  Action taken

  Berendsen and Elis reached a preliminary agreement in June, and Elis completed the acquisition in September.

  Aftermath

  Berendsen became a wholly owned Elis subsidiary and ceased operating as an independent listed company.

  Reported transaction value. Approximately £2.20 billion (2017)

  Source

• 2011

  Rebrand as Berendsen plcStrategy

  Background

  Davis Service Group had developed from an automotive business into a European textile-services group through acquisitions, including Sophus Berendsen.

  Action taken

  The company adopted the Berendsen plc name with effect from 4 January 2011.

  Aftermath

  The Berendsen identity became the principal corporate name for the group's textile-maintenance operations until its acquisition by Elis.

  Source

1. 1Berendsen plcen.wikipedia.org