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UK Group Buys Screening Company
Chester-based GB Group has bolstered its criminal record checks business with the £1.3m acquisition of CRD (UK).
CRD, based in Crewe and owned by Simon Aspinwall, processes around 55,000 criminal record checks a year for organisations who employ individuals working with children and vulnerable adults.
The deal follows last November's £3m acquisition of Nottingham-based TMG CRB which handles 170,000 CRB checks a year. GB now describes itself as the UK's "largest criminal records disclosure umbrella service".
It said CRD would be earnings enhancing in its first full year as part of the group. In unaudited accounts for the year to March 31, CRD's net revenue was £492,000 and profit before interest and tax was £177,000. The business had net assets of around £78,000. GB expects the deal to reinforce its entry into the growing market for online employment screening.
Chief executive Richard Law said: "GB Group continues to focus on its strategy of organic and acquisitive growth designed to build market share in the developing identity intelligence market. The acquisition of CRD reinforces GB Group's capability in the important and growing areas of the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals and entitlement to work. We expect that the combination of CRD with our existing business will deliver strategic and operational synergies."
GB has two main divisions, DataAuthentication which offers an identity verification service aimed at tackling ID fraud, money laundering and under-age gambling, and DataSolutions, which provides clients with information on their customers.
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