Matthew Cole, Managing Director of Gofal Enterprises;
Julie Nobes of App UK; and Stephen Galvin of Finance Wales
Caerphilly-based cleaning firm APP UK has been bought by the trading arm of mental health charity Gofal for an undisclosed sum.
APP UK, based on Caerphilly Business Park, was established in 1983 by Julie Nobes, who will remain with the business as it scales up its commercial cleaning and maintenance services.
She said: “This is an exciting time for APP UK. We are looking forward to working together with Gofal Enterprises Ltd (GEL) to create a company that excels in the service sector, creating a unique customer experience.”
The acquisition is a first for Gofal Enterprises, which was set up in 2010 to develop and operate a portfolio of socially responsible businesses that invest profits back into the charity.
Matthew Cole, Managing Director at Gofal Enterprises, said: “We feel that this is a confident move in the right direction for us and welcome the opportunity to work alongside Julie, who has established a great business in APP over the last 30 years.
“We recognise the need to think differently and creatively about the way we generate income for Gofal and this acquisition not only strengthens GEL’s current offering but will help to generate much-needed funds for Gofal, in what is a challenging economic environment for the sector.
“With the aim of leading social enterprise innovation in Wales by running a portfolio of socially profitable businesses, this is the first of a series of acquisitions that we aim to complete over the coming months.”
The move has been funded with help from Finance Wales and Social Investment Cymru at the Wales Council For Voluntary Action.
Trading arm of a mental health charity to employ volunteers from the system then. Cuts the wage bills down.