The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 38: Aug/Sept 2018 | Page 6

BUSINESS NEWS Excalibur celebrates MBO and accelerates expansion Leading telecoms and IT solutions service provider Excalibur Communications, has undergone a Management Buy-Out (MBO) supported with significant funding from Santander Corporate & Commercial. The management team led by CEO Peter Boucher will take majority ownership of the firm, as part of the Swindon company’s five-year strategy for growth. Former owner and CEO James Phipps retains a minority shareholding. Excalibur provides managed IT and telecoms services to more than 4,000 SMEs in the south and south west. The firm benefits from a strong relationship with Vodafone and is one of its top five distribution channel partners in the UK. Part of Excalibur’s five-year plan is to grow by acquisition and the management buy-out news comes hand-in-hand with the announcement that they have just purchased well-known Swindon company Sensata. Bringing Sensata into the fold will strengthen the IT side of the business with Sensata’s specialism being design, installation and IT network support. Sensata founders Christopher and Janet Griffin Purpol Marketing wins place in Government’s digital marketplace Chippenham’s bid management experts Purpol Marketing have won five places on the Government’s digital marketplace G-Cloud. will remain involved with Excalibur and all staff will join the team at Arclite House. Excalibur CEO Peter Boucher said: “We welcome Sensata into the business. It’s a proven company and shares our passion for delivering a great service to clients and going the extra mile to create IT solutions specifically for SMEs. It’s a natural fit for both of us and, as we grow, we also benefit from the addition of great staff into the Excalibur talent pool. “We have just had a record quarter of growth in our IT business. This acquisition, in particular, accelerates the growth and opportunities for us in our home town, Swindon.” INFINITY NATION DOES THE DOUBLE Local digital marketing experts Infinity Nation took the spotlight at the recent ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards in London, scooping two high profile awards for their client work. The ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards celebrate the achievements of retail businesses of all sizes and at all stages of development. Infinity Nation took away awards for Best Gift, Gadgets, Hobbies and Home Entertainment for their work with Home Leisure Direct and Best Digital Performance (B2C) for a hamper.com project. Infinity Nation founder and managing director Al Keck said: “We were up against some stiff competition for both of these awards and were in the company of some great brands. However, we were ecstatic to be recognised at these national awards for our hard work and the excellent results that we achieved with our clients.” Based in Royal Wootton Bassett, Infinity Nation work with retailers to develop and implement strategies to grow their online sales through tools such as SEO, PPC and email marketing. Their clients include, Boudavida, Prezola and Lombok. In the past two years, the business has more than doubled in size and has recently won eight awards for excellence. @infinity_nation G-Cloud is a UK Government initiative created to help suppliers bid better for local and central government tenders. It forms part of a strategy to move to one central platform for all procurement services. Buying services through frameworks is faster and cheaper than entering into individual procurement contracts. Purpol Marketing can now offer professional services to suppliers in five key areas: • Bid Management / Bid writing / Bid Sup