Yorkshire pest control tech firm expands to Southern Europe

A global pest control technology company has acquired Madrid-based professional pest control products businesses Sanitrade and distributor Vesta Distribuciones for an undisclosed sum.

The deal will enable Knaresborough based Pelsis to expand its operations throughout southern Europe. Sanitrade specializes in protecting grain stores and also owns the agriculture focused Vesta Distribuciones. All the employees, customers and suppliers have transferred to Pelsis.

The deal marks the first acquisition made by Pelsis following its sale in September this year to specialist investment manager Pamplona Capital Management. Following the acquisition, Pelsis now has a turnover of around €165m and employs over 600 people across 15 sites located throughout Western Europe and the US.

Commenting on the sale, Sanitrade chief executive, Inés Rodríguez said: “Our family business is ready for the next step. Joining the Pelsis Group presents a great opportunity for Sanitrade and Vesta to grow and even better support our customers. We are very excited about the future.”

Pelsis Group chief executive, Andrew Milner, said: “We are very pleased to be expanding our southern Europe operations by bringing Sanitrade and Vesta Distribuciones into the Pelsis Group.

“Inés and Sara have done a fantastic job in building the business into what it is today, and we see plenty of opportunity for further collaboration, investment and growth. Our objective is to make Edialux Professional Europe’s number one pest management distributor and this deal is a key strategic element of achieving that goal.”

Last May, Pelsis purchased California-based manufacturer of humane bird deterrents Bird-B-Gone whilst in February 2021 it acquired Lyon-based pest control supplier Edialux France.