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31 Aug 2021

Fire Action Acquired by Spy Alarms

A variety of fire extinguishers labeled powder, water, wet chemical, foam, and carbon dioxide are shown on the left, while a hand presses a red button on a Spy Alarms keypad—Fire Action recently acquired by Spy Alarms.

Spy Alarms acquires Fire Action

Fire Action Ltd (FAL) design, supply, install and maintain a range of fire safety and electronic security products to a wide and diverse range of customers operating across all sectors, primarily focused on the South East. Owners Paul and Louise Garry started the business in 2002.

Spy Alarms serves a similar customer base and geographic area. Spy installs and maintains electronic security and fire systems across London and the south east of England. The business has grown rapidly over the last few years through acquisition and is now one of the largest in its region.

Entrepreneurs Hub Director and Co-Founder, Andrew Shepperd who led the transaction team comments “Finding the right acquisition partner for Fire Action Limited (FAL) has been a great project for us. Fire and Security continues to be a very exciting sector with many investors growing their portfolios and geographic coverage. Legislative changes and societal expectations mean these services are increasingly in demand. Fire Action is an exceptional business, with a great reputation and strong service delivery across the southeast of England. It was inevitable there would be significant interest from multiple premium acquirers once the shareholders decided they were ready for the next step.”

“On a personal note, it is always a pleasure to work with a great shareholder team and Paul and Louise Garry blend perfectly the human touch with a vision for continually delivering higher standards over the years. In the end, their choice to work with Spy Alarms, a growing regional leader in the fire and security space, was on the back of a belief that together, the combined footprint to serve the southeast, was the best choice for the business and their customers. Congratulations to Paul and Louise and the team at Spy Alarms”.

Paul Garry, MD of Fire Action, comments: “The Entrepreneurs Hub were highly recommended to Lou and I, by good friends of ours who sold their business a couple of years ago.  From our initial engagement with Malcolm, through to meetings with Andrew, Rob and Steve, this team of people have been truly incredible.  Their initial analysis of our business and their subsequent consultancy/advice led to us being fully prepared for a launch to market.

No stone was left unturned in this process, and we learnt a huge amount about our business, down to minute detail.  This gave Lou and I huge confidence in our readiness to meet suitable acquirers that were fully researched, qualified, and discreetly verified by the E H Team.

We would absolutely, whole heartedly and unequivocally recommend The Entrepreneurs Hub to anyone who is considering disposal of their business, it is practically one of the soundest business decisions we have ever made”.

Tom Howard, CEO of Spy Alarms Limited says, “We are thrilled to have completed the acquisition of Fire Action and excited to continue working with Paul and Louise.  We continue our strategy of acquiring good fire and security businesses to add to the Spy Group and this represents the latest step in that journey,”

Malcolm Murray, Entrepreneurs Hub Director and Co-Founder, commented: “It has been a delight to support Paul and Louise Garry on this journey to achieve the agreed goals. They have built a great business and an excellent team that I am sure it will continue to thrive as part of Spy Alarms. – I wish everyone involved the very best as they move into this exciting new chapter.

Hear from the business owners directly

A man and woman sit on a couch smiling, with the fire action fire safety & electronic security logo behind them. Text on screen reads: What advice do you have for business owners looking to sell?.

Advice for other business owners – Fire Action

“Think very carefully about who you’re going to work with… without EH I’m not sure we would have got to the point that we have…”

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Two people sit on a couch, smiling. Behind them is the Fire Action logo with the text fire safety & electronic security. A green box in the foreground reads, Was it important to consider the future of Fire Action?.

Finding the best home for the business – Fire Action

“It was really important that we found the right home for Fire Action. We ended up spoilt for choice…”

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A man and woman sit on a couch, smiling. Above them is the fire action fire safety & electronic security logo. A green box in front reads, How did you decide who to work with?.

How to select the right advisor – Fire Action

“We had three sales pitches that we sat through… and it was really a no-brainer.”

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A man and woman sit on a couch, smiling, with the fire action fire safety & electronic security logo above them. A green box on the image reads, Was it particularly difficult to decide that you should sell?.

Making the difficult decision to sell – Fire Action

“I’d fallen out of love with the job…” But business partner Lou wasn’t happy at first…

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A man and woman sit on a couch, smiling. Behind them is the Fire Action logo with the text fire safety & electronic security. In front, a green box reads, What is it like to sell a business?.

Selling a business is a roller coaster ride – Fire Action

“You don’t know how many twists and turns there are going to be on that ride. But all you know is… you’re sat in a chair, you’re strapped in.”

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A man and woman sit on a couch smiling, with a fire action: fire safety & electronic security logo behind them. A green box in the foreground reads, Could you have done it yourself?.

The importance of different roles in the process – Fire Action

“Previously I’d had this notion it was something I could do myself… Lou laughs because we understand what’s involved.”

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A man and woman sit on a couch smiling. Above them is the fire action fire safety & electronic security logo. A dark green box in the foreground reads, What did it feel like to have sold the business?.

What has selling meant for you? – Fire Action

“I just felt that this massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. But I also feel proud of what we have done…”

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A man and woman sit on a couch, smiling, with a fire action fire safety & electronic security logo above them. Text in front reads: Whats it like owning and selling a business with your spouse?.

Working with your partner – Fire Action

“Working together had been great… but you do lose sight of your relationship. Now, we have our relationship back outside work.”

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Our Deal Team

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Andrew Shepperd

Director & Co Founder
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Tony Meakin

FD & M&A Director
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James Guglia

Strategy & M&A Director
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Rob Rickard

FD & Deal Lead
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Malcolm Murray

Director & Co Founder
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Tim Allaston

Director
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Steve Wadsworth

Operations Director
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Millie Beckett

Snr. Approach Consultant

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