130 jobs saved in AWA buyout

Approximately 130 jobs have been saved at Australian IT firm AWA Limited, with today's announcement that the iconic business has found a buyer.

The 105 year-old business, which went into administration in February, has been bought by not-for-profit Catholic healthcare provider Cabrini Health Limited.

The sale "preserves 130 jobs across Australia", according to a statement issued today by administrators PPB Advisory.

It was not known at the time of writing how many, if any, positions would go as part of the sale. CRN had contacted Cabrini Health and the administrator for comment.

While terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, AWA has more than 700 "field service agents", as well as offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, Perth and Newcastle.

All existing contracts will remain, according to the statement. AWA lists the likes of Dimension Data, NEC, HP, Cisco, Toshiba and Dell as its clients. The company has government, enterprise and integrators as clients.

The sale attracted "significant local and international interest", according to a statement.

The AWA brand will continue, with Cabrini planning to make the business part of a new group called Cabrini Technology Services. Cabrini Health will trade under the AWA brand through this new group, according to a statement.

The brand will continue under the new owner, according to chief executive of Cabrini Health, Dr Michael Walsh. “We are committed to continuing to maintain the AWA brand and reputation as a specialist in information technology services," he said.

AWA's history goes back more than 100 years in Australia, with the company involved in radio during World War II.