Mears Group (MER) RNS Announcements

Mears Group plc is a housing and social care provider. It repairs and maintains over 700,000 social homes across the UK.

The company was founded in 1988 in Gloucestershire, where it is still based, and floated on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, as Mears Group plc in 1996. In 1999 it acquired Haydon & Co and in 2007 Careforce. In 2008, the group moved to the main market on the London Stock Exchange.

In 2011 it took over more than 20 Home Improvement Services from Anchor, and in 2012 acquired Morrison Facilities Services from AWG plc. In 2012 it acquired Independent Living Services Scotland and launched Mears Nurseplus, enabling the company to offer health services as well as social care. Nurseplus (specialising in the care of adult and paediatric service users with complex health conditions, both acute and chronic that require clinical intervention and management) was awarded a place on the NHS framework contract to supply staff into NHS establishments across Scotland in November 2014.

In October 2014 it took over Omega Group Ltd., a private sector provider of residential lettings and management services to the social housing market. In December 2014 Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust named the Group as the preferred bidder to run its Living Well@Home Services contract, integrating IT systems and deliver a range of community-based services for a minimum of five years.

In June 2015 it bought Care UK's home care division, with about 6,000 employees for £11.3 million. Subsequently renamed Mears Care, it looked after about 13,000 people.

It is listed on AIM under the ticker MER.