Arco holds what the firm described as the leading market position among U.K. safety equipment distributors, supplying protective gear, safety wear and training services to customers in infrastructure, defense, utilities and healthcare.
Founded in 1884, the company has built its customer base around blue-chip national accounts and maintains a network of branches across the country from its headquarters in Hull.
H.I.G. plans to expand Arco’s product and service portfolio, invest in the company’s digital capabilities and pursue bolt-on acquisitions in the U.K. and internationally.
A Safety Specialist With a Century-Long Customer Base
Arco’s pitch to buyers has long rested on depth rather than breadth — the company offers product audit capabilities, compliance expertise and safety training alongside its distribution business, which it says gives it stickiness with large national accounts that need more than catalog fulfillment. H.I.G. cited those differentiated services as a key reason for the deal.
Guy Bruce, chief executive of Arco, said the company sees H.I.G. as a partner with the resources and network to extend that model. “We are delighted to welcome H.I.G. as our new investment partner,” Bruce said. “H.I.G. shares our ambition for the business and brings significant experience helping companies grow, both in the U.K. and internationally. We look forward to working together to invest in our people and capabilities, broaden our product and service offering, and continue delivering the high standards our customers expect from Arco.”
Adam Taylor, a managing director in H.I.G.’s London office who led the transaction, pointed to the company’s customer relationships and market positioning as central to the investment thesis. “Arco has established a leading position as the U.K.’s foremost experts in safety wear and protective equipment, supported by long-standing, blue-chip customer relationships and a differentiated product and service proposition,” Taylor said. “We are excited to be working with the Arco team, and we look forward to supporting the Company’s customers with best-in-class products and services.”
H.I.G. Continues U.K. Deal Activity Under Schwartz’s Leadership
H.I.G. Capital manages approximately $75 billion in assets across equity, credit and real assets strategies. Sami Mnaymneh and Tony Tamer co-founded the firm in Miami in 1993; both serve as executive chairmen. Brian Schwartz, who built H.I.G.’s North American buyout business over more than three decades with the firm, became chief executive officer in April 2026.
H.I.G. operates a London office as part of a broader European presence that includes offices in Hamburg, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan and Paris. Arco is the latest in a run of European acquisitions that have included transactions in Italy, Germany and Scandinavia over the past year.
Workplace safety equipment has drawn private equity attention in part because demand tracks regulatory requirements rather than consumer sentiment, making revenues more predictable than in discretionary sectors. Arco’s exposure to infrastructure and defense end-markets adds additional insulation from the kind of cyclical swings that can compress distributor margins.
