Securitas (Swedish security company)

Securitas AB

Type	Publicly traded Aktiebolag (Nasdaq Stockholm: SECU B)
Industry	Security
Founded	1934 (1934)
Headquarters	Stockholm, Sweden
Area served	North America, Europe, South America, Asia and Africa
Key people	Melker Schörling (Chairman) Alf Göransson (President and CEO)
Services	Security services (security guarding and mobile patrolling), monitoring, consulting and investigation[1]
Revenue	SEK 66.458 billion (2012)[2]
Operating income	SEK 3.085 billion before amortization (2012)[2]
Profit	SEK 1.212 billion (2012)[2]
Total assets	SEK 38.457 billion (end 2012)[2]
Total equity	SEK 8.600 billion (end 2012)[2]
Number of employees	300,000 (end 2012)[2]
Website	www.securitas.com

Securitas AB is a security services (security guarding and mobile patrolling), monitoring, consulting and investigation group, based in Stockholm, Sweden.^[1] The group has approximately 300,000 employees in over 60 countries worldwide.^[2] Securitas AB is listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Large Cap segment. In 2014, the group had total sales of 70,217M SEK ($8.44B USD) and an operating income of 3,505M SEK ($421.5M USD).^[2]

Securitas AB owns the Swiss security company Protectas AG^[3] in Switzerland, where there already existed a security company called Securitas AG, part of the Swiss Securitas Group.

History

Securitas AB was founded in 1934 in Helsingborg, Sweden, as AB Hälsingborgs Nattvakt, when Erik Philip-Sörensen bought a small guarding company. In 1935, the name was changed to Förenade Svenska Vakt AB. The company expanded through acquisitions of several small security companies, initially in southern Sweden.^[4]

In 1949, AB Securitas Alarm was founded as the company's security-technology subsidiary, and during the following decade, the company started expanding internationally.^[4]

In 1972, the group was rebranded as Securitas, the Roman goddess of security and stability,^[5] with a logotype consisting of three red dots and the word "Securitas." The dots are described as representing the group's core values of "Integrity, Vigilance and Helpfulness."^[1][6]

In 1976, Erik Philip-Sörensen sold the Securitas group to his sons Jörgen Philip-Sörensen and Sven Philip-Sörensen,^[4] and in 1981, the group was divided between the sons, with the international operations developing into Group 4 and the Swedish operations retaining the Securitas brand.^[7]

In 1983, Securitas was sold to the holding company Skrinet, and in 1985, it was acquired by Investment AB Latour, controlled by Gustaf Douglas. Under the new ownership, the group focused on security, and in 1989, an international expansion began, with acquisitions in Norway, Denmark and Portugal, and establishment in Hungary.^[7][8]

In 1991, Securitas was listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In 1994, the group distributed ASSA AB (acquired in 1988) to its shareholders. Throughout the 1990s, foreign acquisitions were made in 11 European countries and in the United States.^[8]

In 1999, Securitas acquired Pinkerton,^[9] and in 2000, Burns Security,^[10] and several regional security companies in the United States. These acquisitions made Securitas one of the largest security companies in the world. In 2001, a new organization took effect, with five business areas according to types of services offered, and Loomis Fargo & Company was acquired.^[8][11]

In 2003, the group's security services in the United States were integrated under the Securitas brand, and the group's cash handling services were completely divisionalized, with a joint management for U.S. and European operations.^[12]

In 2006, the divisions Securitas Systems (alarm, monitoring, and access control systems), and Securitas Direct (solutions for homes and small businesses) were distributed to the group's shareholders and listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In the same year, the divisions Mobile (small and medium-sized customers), and Alert Services (electronic surveillance of homes and businesses) were created (as of 2007 constituting the business segment Mobile and Monitoring).^[11][13][14]

In 2007, the United Kingdom cash handling services of the division Loomis were sold to Vaultex Ltd, owned by HSBC and Barclays.^[14] Securitas began operating in Peru in November 2007.^[15]

In 2008, the division Loomis (cash handling) was distributed to the group's shareholders and listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm.^[16]

In 2010, Securitas acquired the security-services operations of Reliance Security Group in the United Kingdom.^[17][18]

In 2011, Securitas acquired Chubb Security Personnel in the United Kingdom.^[19]

In 2013 Securitas acquired Pinkerton Government Services, which provides cleared security services to governmental agencies and programs that require a Department of Defense or Department of Energy security clearance. This government services division of Securitas became known as Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services. This division operates both in the United States and worldwide when cleared services are needed overseas.

In 2015 Securitas acquired Diebold Incorporated’s (NYSE-DBD) Electronic Security business in North America. Diebold´s North American Electronic Security business, based in Green, Ohio, USA, is the third largest commercial electronic security provider in North America. Diebold´s North American Electronic Security business has approximately 1100 employees. The operation includes more than 55 000 monitored customer locations and 200 000 sites serviced.^[20]

Operations

Head Office in Stockholm

Securitas is divided into three main business segments, "Security Services North America," "Security Services Europe," and "Security Services Ibero-America." Operations outside of the Americas and Europe are reported in a separate category called "Other," which also includes central expenses.^[1][2]

In general, the group operates under the brand Securitas for all business segments. Specialized services including due diligence, background checks, security assessments, brand protection, intellectual property protection, executive protection, investigations, cyber surveillance, computer forensics, social compliance and IT security are performed worldwide under the brand "Pinkerton." These operations are reported as part of the North American business segment.^[1] The Swiss market is an exception, in that general security services are provided under the brand Protectas.^[2][21][22]

Securitas emphasizes the importance of values to the corporation. The fundamental values are defined as "Integrity, Vigilance and Helpfulness." The organized use of values for managing the group began in 1958, when a number of workshop meetings with employees took place. One of the aims was to reach consensus on the everyday implications of integrity, vigilance and helpfulness, which were by then already established as corporate keywords. The result was the document "Basic Values for Guards" (Handlingsnorm för väktare), a list of 20 theses describing how a security guard should act, which over the years has evolved into the group's current basic values for employees guide.^{[1][4][8][11][23]}

Market

Securitas office in Canada

For guarding and mobile security services in 2009, Securitas had a global market share of 11 percent and the following regional market shares:^[1]

As of 2012, Securitas was present in the following 53 countries:^[2]

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China (with Hong Kong), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland (under the brand Protectas), Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Vietnam.

Key people

Alf Göransson (born 1957) is president and CEO of Securitas.

As of the annual general meeting 2013, Securitas had the following board of directors:^[1][24]

Ownership

As of November 2013, according to Euroclear AB, these were the 10 largest shareholders of Securitas:^[25]

See also

• Loomis for robberies committed against Loomis while it was a division of Securitas
• Securitas depot robbery for the 2006 events affecting the U.K. cash-handling operations of the Loomis division of Securitas, at the time operating under the Securitas brand and in 2007 sold to HSBC and Barclays

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Securitas AB.

• Official website of Securitas AB
• Official website of Pinkerton
• Login Guide - Online Website for Paperless Pay Talx Employees
• Principle Northwest

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