SOLD : Blackdown Environmental joins with NBC Environment to extend ecological service provision

Devon based Blackdown Environmental has completed a strategic merger with NBC Environment to extend its portfolio of ecology services across the UK.

The deal will strengthen NBC Environment’s consultancy and wildlife management capabilities for customers in the private and public sectors. As an NBC company, Blackdown will be able to build upon its expertise and offer a greater range of added-value retained client work to complement its project work, as well as expand into new regions.

Blackdown Environmental’s managing director, Stewart Priddle, will sit on the NBC Environment board as director of ecology and habitats. In this role, Stewart will be responsible for developing NBC Environment’s ecological consultancy and contracting proposition for the UK as a whole.

John Dickson, managing director of NBC Environment said the deal represents an accelerated growth strategy building on Blackdown Environmental’s excellent reputation with geographic expansion and integrating services leading to a recruitment drive.

Stewart Priddle adds: “NBC Environment is a natural fit for us, both in terms of the clients and the culture. Each of our business units are complementary so the integration process is straightforward. Where there is cross-over, my focus will be on taking the most successful elements of each to develop a best-of-breed offer.

“In combining the strengths of each company, NBC Environment and Blackdown Environmental are moving towards a full-service approach to meet the wildlife management needs of clients. This presents a very convincing USP for a broader customer base and together we are in stronger position to maintain longer-term scalable growth.”

Stewart decided to use Exeter based specialist business transfer agency, Beardsley Theobalds to go to the market. With this being a rather niche market business a targeted promotional campaign was conducted and the business was featured on the leading websites in the business transfer industry as well as Beardsley Theobalds’ own website. These forms of promotion attracted interest from people from across the country and with backgrounds both outside and within the industry.