Global consultant acquires dispute resolution division from Grontmij

Driver Group has bought Yorkshire-based Trett Consulting from Dutch engineering giant Grontmij for £3m.

Grontmij flagged its £14m-turnover subsidiary was up for sale in its first quarter trading update this year.

All 75 Trett employees will join AIM-listed Driver, which takes its staff numbers to 230.

Trett has its headquarters in Leeds and offices in Altrincham, Coventry and London as well as in Holland, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Houston, Texas.

Grontmij bought the dispute resolution and contractural advice consultancy in 2008.

Driver’s chief executive Dave Webster said: “This acquisition provides a global platform for the full service offering of the group, plus opportunities to leverage our project services business that Trett does not currently provide across a world market and a broader sector and client base.”

John Chubb, managing director of Grontmij in the UK and Ireland said: “Following the release of our ‘Back on Track’ strategy early this year, the disposal of Trett is an early move in the restructuring workstream as we focus on our core markets and core capabilities.

“I believe that the acquisition of Trett by Driver is an excellent fit which represents good value to both companies”.