Dataserv International Inc has been bought by its management for an undisclosed sum from Atlanta-based BellSouth Enterprises Inc. The Windsor, Berkshire-based company is involved in computer leasing and trading, and specialises in IBM Corp and IBM-compatible mainframes and peripherals. It has operations in Germany and the Netherlands and boasts approximately 450 customers throughout Europe. Executive vice-president of Dataserv Vicki Glaysher says that BellSouth has been keen to exit the computer leasing business for some time, and has actively been seeking buyers for her company for the past couple of years. Most offers reportedly came from firms interested in simply buying Dataserv’s assets rather than keeping it as a going concern. So, instead of wasting years of work in building up the group, management decided to buy it themselves. Dataserv was set up in 1971 in Minneapolis as a leasing company, and set up shop in the UK after buying, and merging operations with, Premier Computer Ltd in Windsor. Premier was a maintenance and leasing firm, privately-owned by four partners, and the US site subsequently diversified into maintenance too. Dataserv obtained a listing on the UK Stock Exchange in December 1983, but not in the US, where it was, at that time, more expensive to go public. Both businesses were bought by BellSouth in 1987. During the 1990s, the two companies started splitting away from each other; conversely, the US concern now deals solely in maintenance, while the UK focusses purely on leasing and selling – Glaysher believes that the firm entered the UK maintenance market too late, and the business was sold in 1990. The two operations are completely separate. US-based Dataserv will remain with BellSouth, but UK-based Dataserv will keep its name.
