The market

Securitas Direct is a provider of security services to consumers and small businesses in Europe. The market is relatively young, demand is sales-driven and new technology offers opportunities for players with a strong local presence.

The market can be divided into two segments:

• Traditional bells-only alarms that are not connected to an alarm centre
• Monitored alarms connected to an alarm centre that relays alerts to security guards and the police
  

Around 12–15 million homes and small businesses in Europe have alarms, of which 5–6 million are monitored alarms. There is a growing trend for homeowners to choose monitored alarms. Current estimates suggest that around 40% of monitored alarms in Europe are residential, indicating that 2.0–2.5 million households have a monitored alarm. The estimated figure for businesses in Europe is 3.0–3.5 million.

Latest update: 7/20/2009