Member Article

HURST advises PAM Group on acquisition of Concept Northern

Preventative healthcare services provider PAM Group has acquired a specialist business in Scotland which will add £2.5m to its annual revenues.

PAM Group, which has its headquarters in Warrington, has bought Concept Northern for an undisclosed sum.

Concept Northern, which is based in East Kilbride near Glasgow, has 20 staff.

It is PAM Group’s fourth acquisition and marks the latest stage of an ambitious growth strategy under which it aims to double in size over the next few years.

PAM Group, which has 600 staff nationwide, achieved turnover of £30.1m in 2019, up from £24.1m the previous year.

The group, founded by chief executive James Murphy in 2004, was advised on its latest acquisition by Ben Bradley of HURST Corporate Finance and James Thompson and James Hamilton of HURST’S tax team.

Ben said: “PAM Group has shown tremendous resilience during the pandemic, capitalising on its strong performance and balance sheet, resulting in this acquisition which complements the group’s activities and brings geographical expansion. PAM remains highly acquisitive in its strategic aspirations and growth plan.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the management on the latest acquisition.”

PAM Group provides occupational health and wellness services to the public and private sectors, including psychological services, physiotherapy, advice and counselling through workshops and other methods, absence management and drug and alcohol screening.

James Murphy said: “By providing clear and consistent advice to our clients, our services help to ensure that people are in work and are being productive.”

He said PAM Group, which has 32 clinics across England, Scotland and Wales, is looking to double in size through organic growth, bolt-on acquisitions and by buying businesses which add new services or new territories to its operations.

Concept Northern, which was established in 1996 by husband and wife Andrew and Louise Tasker, brings a new specialist service to PAM Group. It offers neurodiversity assessments and assistive technology for people with conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and Tourette’s.

Following the acquisition, Concept Northern is being integrated into PAM Group’s specialist health assessment division, ToHealth.

Concept Northern continues to trade under its own name and its employees remain with the business.

James said: “Concept Northern has a proven track record in the education and employment sectors and its team are a key part of our future growth plans.

“Their experience and specialist skills will enable PAM Group to provide in-house further neurodiversity assessments covering a variety of conditions, with the focus being on keeping people in work, supporting them in finding work and accessing education.

“The acquisition complements our range of services and supports the group’s preventative healthcare strategy of providing anticipatory measures to prevent disease, disability and a reduction in quality of life through assessment, treatment and support.

“We look forward to bringing the specialist skills and assets of Concept Northern to new and existing PAM Group clients.

“Pleasingly, Andrew will be staying on for a period of time to ensure the effective handover of the management of the business, especially in relation to its client and customer service relationships.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by HURST .