DiGiCo joins forces with Allen & Heath and Calrec

The deal follows private equity firm Electra Partners’ March acquisition of Calrec, which became a “sister company” to Electra-owned Allen & Heath.

Electra’s investment in DiGiCo will leave Isis Equity Partners, which invested in DiGiCo in December 2011 as part of a £50m management buyout, with a minority stake in the group.

DiGiCo managing director James Gordon will become chief executive of the as-yet-unnamed group, while the current chairman of Allen & Heath and Calrec Malcolm Miller takes on the role of chairman for the group.

Gordon said: “We have bold plans for the group but it is imperative that each company maintains its own independence and style. None of these brands needs to trade off each other’s technology or reputation.

“These are three great companies and all the brands currently in the group have enviable reputations for technology, audio quality, reliability, and perhaps most importantly, customer focus and care.

“The strategy is to share technology and resources across the group and allow some interconnectivity across the product lines.

“The combined R&D teams are about to enter a new world of possibilities and we intend to take full advantage of their resources, passion, and experience.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for us, and just maybe the whole British pro audio industry.”

Calrec’s sales and marketing director Henry Goodman said the deal would provide “new opportunities for swifter development of a host of ideas we have wanted to bring to the market”.

He said: “We will have a vast pool of engineers to share new ideas for the industry and target them specifically to each brand’s needs.

“Customers can expect us to maintain, and in some areas improve, our very high levels of support and service.”