Shuttleworth Business Systems has announced the acquisition of Border Merchant Systems, specialist supplier of computer software for builders’ and plumbers’ merchants.

Shuttleworth, a family-owned group with its headquarters in Kettering, Northamptonshire, is a leading player in the Print & Packaging business solutions market place. With a turnover in excess of £4m and 50 plus highly trained and motivated staff, the company enjoys a reputation for providing powerful software solutions backed by the very highest levels of customer support.

Border, with more than 20 years’ experience specialising in the merchant sector, has developed a totally integrated solution with an impressive list of customers across the UK.

The acquisition strengthens the Shuttleworth group’s presence in the SME sector. Border will continue to operate independently from its base in Monmouth, with the added advantage of access to the substantial resources that exist within the Shuttleworth group.

“Border is a great opportunity for us to broaden the operations of the Shuttleworth group,” said Paul Deane, joint managing director of Shuttleworth. “It is a business with the same fundamental principles at its heart: high-quality software backed up by the very best levels of customer service.”

He added: “We are planning significant further investment in the CounterAct product to establish it as a market-leading solution for the merchant industry.”