LS&S (formally known as LSSI).

Early in 2011, LS&S expressed an interest in running 15% of the UK’s Libraries within four years, although it  admitted (28.11.11) that it has had to scale back its ambitions. It is a family-run company (for instance it’s executive chairman and it’s press officer are related but it is worth noting that it is not family-owned) with a new chief executive whose background is in contract services.  Due to their role in the USA and to the recent relatively high profile of the company in the UK, much of the information in this article about private companies is about LSSI.  The company was established in 1981, based in Maryland and is majority-owned by Islington Capital Partners.  LSSI has just won it’s first contract in Florida (30.12.11).  It has around $35 million in annual revenue and 800 employees (28.3.12).  It does not disclose its profits.

The company is still tiny in the UK, having currently no local authority contacts.  Indeed, the Express, reports that it is “operating from office space above a lettings agency in London and registered to a semi-detached home in suburban Liverpool. It was registered in the UK in 2008 with capital of £1,000 but is now shown on the Companies House register as a dormant company with the minimum £100 in its account.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has written a seven page report on LSSI that is available here.   Although obviously from a biased source – trade unions hate LSSI – it contains extremely useful information, including on origins and political contributions, that is not available elsewhere.