Equistone exits majority stake in ORS Group

• Equistone acquired ORS in July 2013 and helped strengthen its international presence by entering the German and Italian markets
• ORS specialises in offering immigration services with a focus on public customers and governments in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy
• ORS has seen demand from governments for support services in the area of migration rise consistently in recent years

Equistone has sold its majority stake in Organisation for Refugee Services (ORS) to Serco Group, an international governmental service provider. ORS specialises in offering immigration services with a focus on public customers and governments in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. It was acquired by Equistone in July 2013, which helped strengthen its international presence by entering the German and Italian markets.

“Demand from governments for support services in the area of migration has risen consistently in recent years,” said Jürg Rötheli, CEO of ORS. “Thanks to the new partnership with Serco our customers will benefit from an even stronger global network. At the same time, we will also guarantee the same level of service and professionalism that customers have come to expect. Our new partner’s support and expertise will help us to keep developing ORS, while maintaining our commitment to quality services and high standards of care.”

Zurich-headquartered ORS employs over 2,000 people.

London-based Equistone operates across the Benelux, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. It looks for strong middle-market companies with growth potential. Its target enterprise value range is between €50 million and €500 million and it looks to invest equity of between €25 million and €200 million from its €2.8 billion fund, Equistone Partners Europe Fund VI.

Serco Group is a UK company headquartered in Hook, England. Is is a contractor for the provision of government services.