6 June 2002 One of Europe’s largest IT services group, Atos Origin, is acquiring KPMG’s Dutch and UK consulting arms in a bid to broaden its geographical reach and beef up its high-end consulting services.
Paris-listed, Amsterdam-based Atos is paying €657 million for the two units, which will add revenues of around €600 million, 2,800 employees and clients such as Microsoft and Vodafone. The combined group will boast sales of €3.7 billion and 30,000 employees in 30 countries.
Atos Origin was created in the summer of 2000 with the merger of France’s Atos and the IT services business of Dutch electronics group Philips Electronics, called Origin. The group has weathered the downturn better than rivals such as Cap Gemini, thanks to strong growth in its managed services business.
Atos is also said to be interested in KPMG’s German practice, although Atos CEO Bernard Bourigeaud would not comment on whether his company was in discussions to buy the unit. KPMG’s European partnerships did not join KPMG Consulting when it went public in the US.
