6. Softcat makes maiden acquisition
When? April
Softcat has grown rapidly to 2,600 staff, a £3bn top line and a market value of £3.1bn.
And it’s done all this organically.
So why meddle with a winning formula?
With data and AI moving so fast, Softcat finally decided to join the M&A trail in April when it grabbed Oakland Group Services for at least £8m in cash.
The LSE-listed reseller hinted the previous month that it may depart from its organic growth strategy for the first time in its 32-year history as it explicitly mooted potential M&A in its interim results.
In a follow-up interview with IT Channel Oxygen, Softcat CEO Graham Charlton picked out data, AI and automation as one possible M&A avenue, alongside cyber and international growth.
“If we saw something truly compelling, then we could do it,” Charlton said at the time.
Softcat’s market value has since nudged a three-year high.
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