Securitas Direct
Securitas Direct is a security company based in Malmö, Sweden and active in 15 countries in Europe and South America. Securitas Direct was established in 1988 as part of the Swedish group Securitas AB. Then it turned into an independent company. Hellman & Friedman is currently the main shareholder in the group. 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, ESML sells Securitas Direct to Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman.
Verisure is the new name of Securitas Direct's consumer branch and the company name in 15 countries - Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the United Kingdom.
In the remaining countries the company name is Securitas Direct but will eventually change to Verisure. The Swedish unit addressing the business segment holds the name Securitas Direct and will not change to Verisure.
In a judgement from April 2015 the district court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, ruled that the direct canvassing, with alarm systems and associated multiyear PAC subscriptions, one of the primary commercial practices of Verisure, is unlawful towards consumers.
