Commercial heating specialist Hamworthy Heating has been acquired by privately-owned French company Groupe Atlantic for a figure reported to be in the region of £35 million.

It has been sold by Private Equity company NGBI (part of the national Bank of Greece), who themselves purchased the Fleetsbridge operation from Powell Duffryn in 2001 when the former Hamworthy Engineering Group was being broken up.

The company currently employs 95 members of staff (following a rationalisation programme in 2005), 60 of them working in Poole the other 35 operating in sales and service positions around the world. All have been retained and Groupe Atlantic say they plan to consolidate the operation in Poole.

Andy Moore, formerly Hamworthy's finance director, has been named as the new managing director and says it will be business as usual for the company.

"Hamworthy Heating is a well-known and respected name in the UK marketplace with its brand leading modular boilers and hot water systems," he says.

"The acquisition of the company by Groupe Atlantic can only serve to increase Hamworthy's portfolio, allowing us to continue to lead the way in commercial heating and the growing renewables market in the UK, as well as develop our product positioning in international markets.

"Groupe Atlantic already has a presence in the UK through their Atlantic and Ygnis brands, and these will not be affected by the acquisition of Hamworthy Heating, and they will continue with business as usual."

Hamworthy Heating produces a range of items from commercial boilers (used in developments such as supermarkets and hospitals) and pumps to flues and solar heating systems.

Groupe Atlantic is well known across Europe for its commercial and domestic boilers, electric water heaters, panel heaters and towel dryers, air conditioning, ventilation and renewable energies.

It has worked closely with the French nuclear power generating programme.

It had made no secret of its desire to acquire Hamworthy to enter the British market.