PHS Datashred, the confidential data destruction division of the £422 million PHS Group, has continued its national expansion by purchasing Bettershred.
Bettershred, the ten year old, £250,000 turnover mobile document shredding business, has over 900 clients and is based in Milton Keynes.
In January this year PHS Datashred also acquired Exeter-based Phoenix Shredding, expanding their geographical reach in the South West.
The company now has 15 destruction centres nationally to service its growing professional services client base.
Anthony Pearlgood, managing director of PHS Datashred, said:
“For our 50th anniversary year our aim is to cover more of the national shredding market. This acquisition means, in the last few weeks, we have further established ourselves as one of the largest shredding companies in the UK.
“We’re always looking at opportunities to expand and Bettershred fitted perfectly with our organic growth strategy. We will offer our new and existing customers in Milton Keynes improved service levels, enhanced security standards and a more flexible range of services – including both on and off site shredding and IT recycling services.”
John Tipping, former managing director of Bettershred, will remain as a business consultant at PHS. He said:
“This acquisition is the result of 10 years of work. We have built up a solid client base and are known for offering a reliable and secure confidential data destruction service.
“Business identity fraud is on the rise and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed fines on businesses guilty of breaching the Data Protection Act. Shredding is a permanent way to alleviate this problem.”
Each year, identity fraud in the UK costs more than £2.7 billion and affects over 1.8 million people, according to recent figures from the National Fraud Authority (NFA).
