As well as the television station, leisure, retail and rental activities, Granada Group Plc now has by far the largest third party computer maintenance business in Europe: it claims that Granada Computer Services International is four times the size of its nearest European rival. For the year to September 30, 1989, the Business Services unit which is mainly the computer maintenance arm, grew 66% to UKP201.2m, representing 12% of group turnover. Integrating the DPCE and several smaller acquisitions has taken longer and has been more difficult than the company expected, the company says, noting that operating profits have been hurt in the process and that further one-off reorganisation costs have had to be taken. Granada reckons that all that is behind it now, and that the business is well placed to increase its lead in the maintenance market.
