Stanley looks to expand SMB business across Canada

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario—Stanley Security Canada is solidifying its foothold in the SMB market in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario this year and plans to expand to other parts of Canada in 2017.

“We've already put the pins in place,” Piero Romani, VP of Stanley Security Canada, told Security Systems News.

A key element of the plan is Stanley's July 5 acquisition of Le Group Intégral, but look for Stanley Canada to “be more active in the back half of the year in Canada and in 2017 we'll move westward," Romani said. 

Based on the company's success in Ontario, “Calgary or Vancouver will be the next point we will go to," Romani said.

Stanley Security Canada first got into the residential and small commercial business in 2011, with the $61 million purchase of Microtec in Quebec.

On July 5, Stanley's Microtec business acquired Le Groupe Intégral. Romani declined to give revenue figures or account totals, but he characterized Le Groupe Intégral as “one the largest privately held residential and commercial monitoring centers in the province of Quebec.”

Romani said the deal was a strategic acquisition for Microtec, saying Le Groupe Intégral has several strong programs, including partnerships with insurance companies.

Romani noted that Stanley's CSS business focuses on large commercial business and national accounts, while the Microtec business is solely focused on residential and small commercial business. Separating the two is important, he said. 
The SMB market is “a different environment, [the deals are] smaller, more transactional. The SMB customers expect equally high quality service. They cannot afford cost overruns or service issues,” Romani said.

He believes Stanley is uniquely positioned to service SMB customers. Whether it's a Stanley Black & Decker hammer or lock, “Stanley has had a hand in building a lot of the [small business] facilities [in Canada], and now we want to help protect them,” Romani said.

Stanley offers “different elements of verified video.” Managed services are central to its SMB strategy, he said.

Stanley's planned expansion into Ontario and across Canada will be primarily organic. Further acquisitions may occur “if we come across them,” Romani said.