HURST Corporate Finance plays a key role in buyout of Industrial Door Systems as deal kickstarts acquistion drive

IDS and its shareholders were advised on the transaction by Nigel Barratt and Abby Kelly at HURST Corporate Finance, alongside Liz Gallagher, Sarah Haley and Lianne Upton in HURST’s tax team.

IDS operates nationally from regional hubs in Greater Manchester, the Midlands and London.

Private equity firm Rockpool Investments has backed the buyout and, with its support, IDS is undertaking an ambitious buy-and-build strategy to consolidate the UK access solutions market.

Abby said: “IDS is a longstanding client of HURST, and it has been a pleasure to support the company on this transaction. “We believe Rockpool is an excellent partner for IDS, bringing the experience and backing to support the business through its next phase of growth. “We are delighted to have brought the two parties together and look forward to seeing what they achieve.”

Founded in 1986 by Jeffrey Barnett and headquartered in Trafford Park, IDS has evolved into a national group with just under 100 staff.

The business keeps commercial, industrial and public sector sites safe, secure and compliant, with engineers on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and full nationwide coverage.

Its multi-disciplinary engineers are cross-trained across roller shutters, industrial and pedestrian doors, gates and barriers, loading-bay equipment and fire doors, so a single visit can cover a whole site.

Large multi-site customers are supported from a single point of contact.

IDS holds the accreditations that blue-chip and public sector buyers look for, including CHAS, SafeContractor, ADSA and DHF.

Statutory inspection and maintenance requirements for powered doors, gates and fire doors mean customers need a trusted partner who can keep their estates compliant all year round, and IDS has built long-standing relationships with its customers, many of which go back decades.

Rockpool is backing the existing management team, led by Claire Harrison (CEO) alongside Darren Clarke (Sales Director), Euan Henderson (Finance Director) and Katie Willott (Operations Manager).

The team has modernised how the business operates and is well placed to lead its next phase.

As part of the investment, Rob Flinn will join as Chair. Rob was, until recently, Chief Executive of Marlowe Fire and Security Group, which was acquired by Mitie plc in 2025.

He brings deep experience of building, integrating and scaling compliance-led services businesses through acquisition, and will work alongside the management team and Rockpool as the group grows.

IDS will look to acquire complementary businesses, prioritising regions where the group can increase its geographical density and strengthen its nationwide coverage for customers.

The UK market remains fragmented, with a large number of regional specialists that would benefit from the scale, systems and compliance expertise of a national platform.

Progress is already underway, with a pipeline of acquisition opportunities identified and several in active discussion.

Toby Hurdle, Investment Manager, and Ryan McTigue, Investment Associate, led the investment for Rockpool.

Toby Hurdle said: “I’m really pleased to be backing Claire, Darren, Euan, Katie and the wider team.

“IDS is a well-established national business with a loyal customer base, a skilled engineering workforce and real ambition to grow.

“With Rob joining as Chair and a strong M&A pipeline in place, we are excited about what we can build together over the coming years.”

Rob said: “I’m delighted to be joining IDS as Chair at such an exciting point in its journey. The business has built a strong reputation, long-standing customer relationships and a highly skilled engineering team, providing an excellent platform for future growth.

“With Rockpool’s backing, we have an opportunity to build on these foundations, bringing together complementary businesses to strengthen our nationwide coverage and broaden our capabilities, while maintaining the high standards of service, safety and compliance that customers expect.

“I look forward to working with Claire and the wider management team to deliver our ambitions and establish IDS as a leading force in the UK access solutions market.”