Takeover a boost for Darlington debt collecting firm

Mar 17 2010 by Chris Knox, The Journal

A FIRM of debt collectors and private investigators in Darlington expects to grow annual sales from £1.3m to about £4m and create 26 jobs after being taken over by a national company.

National Enforcement Services (NES) has been acquired by London firm JBW Group and said it will enter several new markets as a result, including Child Support Agency debt collecting.

The firm, founded in 2005, will also increase involvement in parking fine evasion and continue to provide specialist services in enforcement of council tax, commercial rent and removing travellers for local authorities.

The Darlington site has been chosen to provide training to new staff at JBW and is expected to see its workforce grow from 14 to 40 within two years. NES founder Andy Coates, now JBW enforcement director, has launched the UK’s first ever bailiff franchises in Derby, Preston and Durham.

He hopes to reach 90 franchises in five years, with operations in the pipeline for Hampshire and Northumberland, which he believes will help turnover grow by £2.7m by 2012.

Coates said: “Joining the JBW Group is an exciting time for us as it gives us the opportunity to further strengthen our bailiff operations and expand our services under the banner of a fantastically forward-thinking firm ... it will assist us in becoming one of the largest providers of bailiff services in the North of England.”