Skillsgroup Plc the UK-based IT recruitment and services company, last week acquired Information Specialist Ltd (ISL), the UK data warehouse and data analysis company, for 2.9m pounds. ISL’s 26 staff will join Skillsgroup’s 225 employees within the Acuma division, which offers systems integration, applications development and e-commerce services to businesses. ISL made estimated gross profits, for the ten months to 31 October 1998, of 200,000 pounds. Skillsgroup expects to make further purchases in Europe, to build on its existing presence in the UK, Sweden and Belgium. Skillsgroup Plc, expects to show revenue growth of 20% to approximately 450m pounds for the full year on 30 November 1998, the company said. Skillsgroup’s two divisions, QA and Acuma, responsible for IT consultancy and training, are likely to show operating profits of 12.8m pounds. During the year the company has sold its PC and Unix distribution business, P&P and PSL respectively and will realize profits from this. There are likely to be, however, one-time costs due to reorganization and the disposal of the subsidiaries.
