BT Ireland buys IT company

TELECOMS group BT Ireland has acquired the Dublin-based IT services company Cara.

The deal, believed to be in the region of €25 million, will create one of the largest networked IT services companies in Ireland.

Cara was originally part of Aer Lingus and employs 134 people in Dublin, Cork and Belfast and provides consultancy, design and management of IT systems. They generated revenues of €38m last year.

It has been providing ICT solutions to Irish businesses and public sector customers for over 30 years.

Following a management buy-out from Aer Lingus in 1994, Cara was acquired by France’s Groupe Bull, before another MBO in 2001.

Managing director David Little said: “This is a great opportunity and I look forward to delivering with BT the value-add that this deal will bring to our respective customers.

“It is increasingly challenging for an indigenous company to compete in what is rapidly becoming a global marketplace.

“This acquisition gives us access to the expertise, resources and solutions of a great company which combined with our flexible and innovative approach will deliver significant benefits to the market.”

BT Ireland has over 900 employees with offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

In the year ended March 31, BT Group’s turnover was £18,623m (€27,544m) with profit before taxation of £2,354m (€3,480m).

In a similar deal last year, BT Northern Ireland agreed to buy BIC Systems Group for a cash consideration of £17m (€25m), which created one of the largest ICT services companies in Northern Ireland.