Sauter Buys Majority Stake in £70m Contractor 24-7 Group

Swiss-owned building automation giant Sauter has acquired a majority stake in 24-7 Group, a Cheshire-based engineering and integrated facilities management business now worth £70m.

Andy Hawes founded 24-7 Group in 2010 as an electrical contractor. Sixteen years on, the business employs 330 people across the UK. Hawes stays on as chief executive and shareholder, and the company keeps its existing name and leadership.

He marked the deal with a direct message to staff and customers: "When I started 24-7 Group in 2010, I had an idea of what I wanted to build. Sixteen years later, we've created something I'm immensely proud of, thanks to the extraordinary people in our business and the customers who've put their trust in us."

Why did Sauter move?

Sauter employs more than 4,020 people globally and posts a UK turnover of £250m. The group already has an established UK presence and extensive experience in delivering and maintaining complex buildings. Mark Clinch, EVP – Head Sales and Marketing SAUTER Group, framed the acquisition as a growth play.

He said: "The addition of 24-7 marks an exciting step forward for Sauter Group, with exceptional people, strong customer relationships and a culture that closely aligns with our own."

Clinch added: "Combined with Sauter Group's established UK presence and extensive experience in delivering and maintaining complex buildings, this creates a stronger platform for growth, expands the Group's reach and enhances its ability to provide integrated solutions throughout the building lifecycle."

That last phrase matters. Integrated solutions across the building lifecycle (design, delivery, maintenance and operation bundled under one provider) is where European building-automation groups are pushing hardest, and this deal gives Sauter a ready-made UK engineering arm to do it.

What does this change for customers?

Hawes answered that question himself. "Sauter hasn't invested in 24-7 to change what makes us successful. They've invested because they believe in what we've built and, more importantly, what we can become together," he said.

He continued: "For our customers, it's the same people, the same commitment and the same determination to do a great job, just with more behind us. I'm incredibly proud of how far we've come, but I genuinely believe the most exciting part of our story is still ahead of us."

What happens next?

24-7 Group will keep serving clients across retail, logistics, distribution, manufacturing and transport. New opportunities will come through the wider Sauter network, which gives the Cheshire firm a global platform to sell into while Sauter deepens its UK delivery capacity.

Neither party disclosed the value of the majority stake or the size of Hawes's retained shareholding. The deal signals further consolidation in UK mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering, mid-sized contractors increasingly attractive to European automation and smart-building groups chasing integrated, lifecycle-long service contracts rather than one-off construction work.