BT is to sell its French services business to Computacenter. BT’s domestic operations in France include the management and maintenance of IT and network infrastructure, as well as networking and related professional services.
During the fiscal year ending in March 2019, it generated total revenue of around £104m (€118m). The acquisition would enable Computacenter to strengthen its position in the French networking market and increase the number of its major domestic customers in France.
The planned transaction is part of BT’s ongoing transformation of its Global unit, which includes offloading non-core assets, as it 'sharpens its focus' on delivering next generation networking, cloud and security services to multinational organisations.
Last December, BT reached an agreement for the sale of its Spanish managed ICT services business, including its domestic network infrastructure, to funds managed by Portobello Capital.
BT says it would retain a 'strong presence' in France serving multinational businesses and organisations, including access points to its global network and a cyber security operations centre.
BT and Computacenter says they also intend to enter into a partnership agreement in France.
Mike Norris, CEO of Computacenter Group, said: “This planned acquisition represents a small increase in our current revenues in France, which totalled €644.7m in 2019. The current coronavirus pandemic shows the importance of secure and reliable networks to our customers and this deal would significantly strengthen our existing French business in this growth area.
“It would bring our customer offering in France closer to the broader portfolio in our larger European markets, providing a strong foundation for our continued long-term growth.”