About Us – Full company history

Fire Equipment Trading

• August 2008 - acquisition of Somati FIE N.V. brand and assets.
• November 2007 - disposal of Swiss businesses.
• 2007 - Operating profit of £16.8million, the highest in the company's history.
• December 2004 Further expansion into the South of England as the Group acquires MK Fire Limited and TVF (UK) plc.
• September 2004 Creation of United Fire Alarms Limited to incorporate the fire alarm activity of all our companies in the United Kingdom.
• 2003 Change of name from London Securities plc to London Security plc.
• 2002 Further expansion as the Group acquires CFP Cavelle Limited, HUG G.m.b.H in Switzerland and Asco Extinguishers Co. Limited.
• 2001 Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increases by 34% from 2000.
• 1999 London Securities acquires the Nu-Swift Group and the Ansul Group in a reverse takeover.
• 1994 Mr. J.G. Murray’s European Fire Protection Holding b.v. Group acquires the Ansul Group, which represented the European portable fire extinguisher business of Tyco International in Belgium, Holland, Austria and Switzerland.
• 1991 Nu-Swift acquires Importex SA, its Belgian concessionaire.
• 1990 Nu-Swift’s interest in Sicli sold for £184 million.
• 1987 Sicli acquired KO Participations SA.
• Generale Incendie listed on the second market of the Paris Bourse.
• 1986 Nu-Swift’s holding in Sicli increased to 87% on merger of Generale Incendie and Sicli.
• Nu-Swift acquired The General Fire Appliance Company Limited.
• 1985 Nu-Swift acquired 67% of Compagnie Centrale Sicli SA (“Sicli”).
• 1984 Nu-Swift and Generale Incendie merged.
• 1972 Nu-Swift Brandbeveiliging is founded in Arnhem.
• 1961 Mr. J. G. Murray acquired Phillips et Pain Vermorel SA and Minimax SA, both fire extinguisher manufacturers, which formed the beginnings of the Generale Incendie Group (“Generale Incendie”).
• 1960 Nu-Swift Limited (“Nu-Swift”) listed on the London Stock Exchange.
• 1947 Ansul SA, the largest trading company in the Group, is founded.
• 1933 Nu-Swift International Limted, the main UK trading company, incorporated

History of London Security plc, the Company
London Security Plc was incorporated in 1897 but operated as an engineering company. In the 1980’s, the activity was amended to that of a property investment company.

In common with many property investment companies, London suffered from falling asset values, high gearing and high interest rates during the recession of the early 1990’s. London’s financial position was such that in October 1992 it entered into a creditors’ voluntary arrangement, which was accompanied by an issue of Ordinary Shares to provide working capital. An orderly disposal of most of the properties and other assets held by London took place and the proceeds of sale were used to repay in part its secured lenders. The creditors’ voluntary arrangement expired in October 1994.

In November 1994 the Company announced that it would run out of funds by January 1995 unless action was taken. To address this, London acquired Suitsort Limited from Nu-Swift in exchange for the issue of Ordinary Shares and undertook a capital reorganisation to eliminate the deficit on the profit and loss account and to enable the Company to pay dividends. As a result of this transaction, Mr. Murray increased his indirect shareholding in London from 29.15 per cent. To 74.99 per cent.

Suitsort Limited, through its subsidiaries, owned a portfolio of six properties valued in November 1994 at £17.6 million and had property related debt of £11.2 million. Its acquisition by London increased the net assets of London from £14,000 to £6.5 million on a pro forma basis. The Group has continued to own these properties until December 1999.

In December 1999 the Group disposed of its property interest and acquired 100 per cent of the share capital of the Ansul Group and Nu-Swift Group, market leaders in Europe’s fire security industry.