Briggs Group UK, a materials handling and specialist rental company, has been acquired by pension capital firm IFM Investors. IFM has invested more than £5 billion into U.K. infrastructure over the past 20 years. Its investments include stakes in Anglian Water, M6 Toll and Manchester Airports Group. Its global portfolio comprises some of the world’s largest infrastructure assets, including ports and freight terminals outside the U.K. IFM brings a patient, growth-oriented investment approach.
Briggs Group, formerly owned by Sammons Industrial, is one of the largest providers and service organizations for capital equipment across the U.K. and Ireland. The Group comprises a portfolio of materials handling businesses, including Briggs Equipment along with specialty rental plant hire, powered access and specialist engineering services operations.
Headquartered in Cannock, Staffordshire, U.K., Briggs Group has realized significant growth in recent years and reported revenues of approximately £450 million for 2025.
“We are delighted to have exchanged on this transaction and to be commencing the next chapter of the Briggs Group as part of IFM Investors’ portfolio,” said Peter Jones, group managing director for Briggs Group. “Over recent years we have deliberately built a resilient and diversified platform, and this investment is a clear endorsement of both our strategy and the quality of our people.
“IF’s patient, growth-oriented approach aligns closely with our ambitions for the Group. Their understanding of infrastructure businesses makes them an excellent partner as we look to accelerate our growth and invest further in our capabilities. Most importantly, this transaction creates exciting opportunities for our colleagues, reinforces our ability to support our customers and our OEM partners over the long term, and positions the Group strongly for continues success.”
“We are pleased to partner with Briggs as it enters the next stage of its development,” said Deepa Bharadwaj, head of infrastructure Europe, IFM Investors. “As a well-established business operating within the infrastructure value chain, we believe Briggs is well-positioned for success, and we see opportunity to support management’s growth strategy.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.