Allied Universal seals £3.8 billion deal to acquire security solutions giant G4S

Allied Universal is now the third largest employer in North America and, indeed, the seventh largest employer in the world. The company remains focused on its purpose to serve and safeguard customers, communities and people in today’s ever-changing world.

The business is entirely structured to support its local operations, ensuring the resources and benefits are focused where they’re needed most (ie with the company’s customers and security professionals).

Allied Universal operates an extensive network of offices located across North America alone. The company will be ideally situated to address customers’ evolving security needs, partnering and growing with its clients on a national and international scale and, from this point onwards, serving G4S’ existing customer base locally, nationally and around the world.

“This is truly a very significant moment in Allied Universal’s history,” explained Steve Jones, chairman and CEO of Allied Universal. “Our vision is not only to be the best security company, but to be the best corporate services partner in a world of evolving risk. I look forward to working with Ashley Almanza and G4S’ senior management team through the integration process with the goal of establishing a global leader, equipped to lead the industry through the next phase of its development. Together, we will deliver the highest value proposition to customers in the security sector.”

Unrivalled breadth of capability

With news of the planned deal first reported by Security Matters last month, the now signed and sealed acquisition creates a “world-leading integrated security company” providing an “unrivalled breadth of capability” for customers and new opportunities for the company’s teams around the world. For its part, Allied Universal remains committed to security excellence and to being thought leaders in the security industry focused on raising standards of professionalism.

“Steve and his team have created a world-class security business in North America and I have enormous respect for the business they’ve built,” responded Ashley Almanza, CEO at G4S. “The combination of the skills, experience and talents in our two companies creates a unified business that will be unmatched in every important dimension including scale, coverage, employee opportunity, innovation, customer experience and, of course, performance. I look forward to working alongside the Allied Universal team to deliver the considerable benefits that I know this combination can achieve.”  

 Allied Universal provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver evolving, tailored solutions that allow clients to focus on their core business. It’s an $18 billion business employing more than 800,000 members of staff.

G4S is a leading global security company specialising in the provision of security services and solutions for customers. Its mission is to create material and sustainable value for its customers and shareholders by being the supply partner of choice in all of its markets. 

Following completion of the deal, G4S will cease trading on the London Stock Exchange and become a private company. It is anticipated that the cancellation of the listing of G4S plc shares on the Official List and trading of G4S shares on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities will take effect no earlier than 5 May 2021.

At present, G4S is active in around 85 countries and has 533,000 employees.