Meraki Capital has completed the acquisition of six former Hays plc territory businesses in a landmark single transaction for net cash proceeds (after transaction costs) of c.£4 million. This deal significantly strengthens its international recruitment footprint and marks one of the most substantial deals in the company’s growth journey to date.
The acquisition brings together established specialist recruitment operations across Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, adding deep regional expertise, experienced leadership teams and longstanding client relationships to the Meraki Capital portfolio.
The deal represents a major milestone in Meraki Capital’s ambitious buy-and-build strategy and further reinforces its position as one of the most active investors in the recruitment sector. Since the beginning of 2026, the firm has completed seven acquisitions across specialist white-collar and blue-collar recruitment businesses – nine in the past two years.
Importantly, the businesses will continue to operate with established local leadership teams in place, preserving the market expertise, continuity and relationships that have underpinned their success.
The acquisition reflects Meraki Capital’s long-term approach to investment: backing strong businesses with entrepreneurial leadership, operational support and growth capital while protecting the strengths that made them successful.
“This is a hugely significant moment for Meraki Capital and one that we are incredibly proud of,” said Nick Gordon, founder of Meraki Capital. “To complete a transaction of this scale with Hays speaks volumes about the strength of our proposition, our track record and the confidence placed in us to support these exceptional businesses through their next phase of growth.
“What stood out to us immediately was the calibre of the leadership teams, the quality of client relationships and the specialist expertise within each market,” he said. “These are strong, established businesses with real momentum, and our role is to invest behind that success – providing support, capital and opportunity while ensuring local leadership remains firmly at the centre of decision-making.
“We have enormous respect for what Hays has built across these territories and are excited by what we can achieve together in the years ahead.”
Mark Dearnley, CEO at Hays plc, commented: “We are pleased to announce the sale of six European countries to Meraki Capital. The Hays Board believes Meraki Capital will be an excellent long-term owner, providing a strong platform to further support future growth for its employees and customers.
“The sale is in line with our strategy to have a more streamlined approach, allowing Hays more focus on our core markets, whilst working with a network of partners to maintain a multi-country offering.
“Hays and Meraki Capital will continue to maintain an ongoing relationship,” added Dearnley, “to support continued collaboration across the countries and ensure customers continue to receive the highest level of service. The Board and I sincerely thank all our Hays colleagues for their contributions and wish them well for the future with Meraki.”
The acquisition further strengthens Meraki Capital’s growing recruitment portfolio, which includes specialist businesses across financial services, life sciences, facilities management and shift-based recruitment, as the company continues to scale internationally through strategic acquisitions.
