Verisure

Verisure, formerly known as Securitas Direct is a security company based in Versoix, close to Geneva in Switzerland and active in 17 countries in Europe and South America. Hellman & Friedman is currently the main shareholder in the group. The name Securitas Direct is used in two of the group's most prominent markets, Spain and Portugal, but may eventually change to the Verisure name. The Swedish unit addressing the business segment holds the name Securitas Direct and will not change to Verisure. Verisure was founded in 1988 in Sweden by Dick Seger, under the name Securitas Direct and within Securitas AB, which was founded in 1934. Then it turned into an independent company and during the 1990s the expanded into Europe and Latin America. In 1993, the company set up remote monitoring and responses by human interlocutors. In 1996, an offer for small businesses was set up, excluding sensitive businesses such as jewelry stores and banks. In 1997, the company was acquired by the Securitas group, the world leader in security services. From 1999, GSM transmission is used10, and one year later an internal mobile application is developed for sales staff. Becoming Verisure in 2009, the new name of Securitas Direct's consumer branch, this corporate name has changed to Verisure in 2011. It was listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm in 2006, when it was distributed to the shareholders of Securitas AB. In 2008, the company was bought by ESML Intressenter AB and delisted. In 2011, EQT sells the company to Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman for €2.3bn. In a judgement from April 2015 the district court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, ruled that the direct canvassing (doorstep selling directly to consumers), with alarm systems and associated multiyear PAC subscriptions, one of the primary commercial practices of Verisure (Securitas Direct), is unlawful towards consumers. In the 2020s, the group is expanding, driven by a favorable market. The group operates in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK, Ireland, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru.