Dubai International Capital LLC (‘DIC’), the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, and Bridgepoint, a European private equity firm, announced today that DIC has acquired Alliance Medical from Bridgepoint for £600 million. Alliance Medical is the leading provider of diagnostic imaging services to the European healthcare sector.
Sameer Al Ansari, Executive Chairman and CEO of Dubai International Capital, said: “We are delighted with the acquisition of Alliance Medical which combines strong financial performance with technical excellence. We are committed to investing in growth companies that are leaders in their field. This latest transaction is the third buy-out for DIC Private Equity in 2007 and follows our investments in Mauser, one of the world’s largest industrial packaging producers, and Almatis, the world’s leading producer of alumina-based products. We look forward to supporting Alliance Medical’s growth strategy under the leadership of its successful management team.”
Alliance Medical was founded in 1989 and provides a range of diagnostic imaging services (including MRI, CT and PET) used in both private and publicly owned hospitals across Europe. It also manages static and mobile scanners. In the past six years, Alliance Medical has successfully consolidated its UK market position as well as expanded into Continental Europe through 16 acquisitions, most notably in Ireland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Based in Warwickshire, Alliance Medical operates more than 190 scanners and for the year ended 31 March 2007 had revenues of £132 million. Since 2001, Alliance Medical has increased revenues six fold, more than doubled profits and employee numbers have risen from 177 to 690.
Commenting on the deal, Sylvain C. Denis, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai International Capital Private Equity said: “The acquisition of Alliance Medical is our first foray into the healthcare sector and is an important contribution to the diversification of our asset portfolio. We look forward to working with the management team of Alliance Medical to explore new routes for growth and to provide access to new markets, such as the Arabian Gulf and the broader Asian region.”
Rob Moores, partner at Bridgepoint, said: “Under Bridgepoint’s ownership Alliance Medical has grown rapidly from its original UK base to become Europe’s leading provider of diagnostic imaging services. It operates in a fast growing market and has anticipated and responded well to the increasing demands of many Western European governments to improve the quality of healthcare provision. The results achieved are testimony to the quality, depth and vision of its management team.”


