Johnny Servis acquired by France-based renter

French portable sanitation rental business Enygea Group has acquired Johnny Servis, the Czech Republic business founded and managed by CEO Matthew Duras. The financial terms have not been disclosed.

The deal will add around 140 employees and 10,000 items of equipment – spanning portable toilets, fencing, containers and portable offices – to Enygea’s business and give it operations in the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia.

Johnny Servis, which was founded in 1996, is based in Tetin, south west of Prague, and has 14 locations in the country. The deal will combine Johnny Servis’ €15 million revenue business with Enygea’s €100 million operation.

Examples of higher-end portable sanitation units rented by Johnny Servis. (Image: Johnny Servis)

Enygea is a family-owned company based near Lille, and is active in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada. It owns multiple brands, including Happee Services, WC Loc, Moov&Cook and Loo Loo.

Created in 2007 by Hervé Montagne, it has around 1,000 employees, 40,000 portable sanitation units, and 500 delivery and support vehicles.

Matthew Duras, who has been a long-time presence on Europe’s rental scene as a member of the ERA and regular attendee of the ERA Convention, told IRN; “I recognised that I wanted to see Johnny Servis grow further. Hervé came along and he was the right person at the right time for me.”

Duras will continue to manage Johnny Servis through the transition to the new ownership, and will then focus more on his large farming operation near Prague, which produces cash crops, beef and forrestry products.

“We had been feeling out the market for potential partners and we encountered Herve and his team”, said Duras, “The way he runs his business, the way he treats his people, it’s a very similar approach to us.

“It’s a very positive thing for us, our staff and our partners. And Hervé sees the same trends as us, with a move to higher end equipment and sanitation products on construction and other sites, with showers and containerised products. It’s not like the old days with plastic mobile toilets.”

Matthew Duras, CEO of Johnny Servis in the Czech Republic.

Johnny Servis has been one of the pioneers of santitation rental companies expanding into areas such as temporary fencing, offices, storage space, and containerised systems.

Duras said the company was in good shape; “we have the strongest team we’ve ever had and are having the best year we’ve ever had.

“The deal means the continuation of the Johnny Servis brand and a continuation of the strong partnerships we have. The brand will grow and continue to be strong.”

He added that Johnny Servis’s online platform JS GO1 - an ecommerce site to order multiple products - offers the opportunity for rapid expansion into new markets, which would enable further European expansion for the group.

In a LinkedIn post, Montagne, president of Enygea, said; “We are honoured to join this family business, founded over 30 years ago. We share fundamental values: proximity, commitment, trust, and operational excellence. And we serve the same customers: Johnny Servis is a key partner for the construction, events, and sports sectors.”

He said the acquisition “marks a new step in our ambition for growth on a European scale. It strengthens our foothold in a high-potential geographical area and is fully in line with our international development dynamic. We are very pleased to welcome the Johnny Servis teams to the extended Enygea family.”

Duras told IRN that his farming operation was run as a business and that he wanted to manage and grow that successfully, something that would have been more difficult if he was also leading Johnny Servis full-time; “I love agriculture and run it as a business. I want to be a leader in farming, expanding it and investing in automation.”