Restore bolsters ITAD market position with CDL buy

Consolidation across the channel is not exclusively limited to the managed services sphere, and recycling specialist Restore has moved to pick up Computer Disposals.

Runcorn-based Computer Disposals Ltd (CDL) has established a business that focuses on secure, sustainable recycling and data sanitisation services.

The deal makes Restore one of the UK’s largest IT asset disposal (ITAD) specialists and follows a string of acquisitions supporting that ambition. Before CDL, the firm picked up E Recycling (Euro Recycling), an ITAD business based in Bristol, UK, at the end of October.

CDL is a 20-year-old company that has been developing its channel business, viewing relationships with resellers as a key growth area, encouraging customers to consider using its facilities to dispose of IT assets.

The firm’s key management and over 80 staff will remain in the business, which will be integrated into Restore Technology during 2021.

With CDL part of its portfolio, Restore will be offering a range of services, including secure data destruction, IT recycling, on-site IT destruction, server and datacentre relocation, and IT asset management.

“CDL is one of the most respected operators in the market and, after several years of discussions, we are delighted that they have decided to become part of our fast-growing company,” said Charles Bligh, CEO of Restore.

“Restore Technology is now comfortably the UK market leader in the recycling of IT assets and with the addition of a major new site in the North West, we have increased our scale and created greater opportunity to grow, both organically and with additional acquisitions in the future.”

There are indications from some others in the ITAD industry that awareness around the need to dispose of IT assets properly is growing at a customer level.

Last week, DSA Connect released research showing that more company directors were becoming concerned about the potential legal issues of not disposing of hardware and data correctly. As a result, 62% of those that the firm quizzed said they expected to spend more money on data erasure and 60% on disposal of hardware, compared with last year.

“Our findings show that many businesses will be making changes to their IT infrastructure in 2021, from buying more hardware for employees that are now working remotely, upgrading to more secure or cloud-based systems, to making reductions in line with the size of their business and workforce,” said Harry Benham, chairman of DSA Connect.

“An increasingly key focus area is the need to dispose of existing IT data and hardware safely – whether that be to make way for new technology, or to reuse or sell it. It’s encouraging to see the majority of IT directors focusing more on the correct disposal of data and tech hardware, and we are certainly seeing more enquiries in this area.”