Our History & Heritage

In order to trace the origin of Loomis, we will have to go back to 1852, when Wells Fargo & Co. was founded during the California Gold Rush. A few years later, the company took over the western operations of the Pony Express, a mail company shipping packages between the eastern and western coasts of America.

In 1905, Lee Loomis founded the Cleary Creek Commercial Company. By using a dog sled, he supplied Alaskan miners with daily commodities and equipment and returned with the pockets full of gold. Twenty years later, he founded the Loomis Armored Car Service. At a cost of $ 8000, he produced and put into operation the very first custom-made armored secure transportation vehicle later called ‘Old Number One’. The company expanded its business to the west of the US and Canada.

In 1979, the Loomis family decided to sell the Loomis Corporation. The following years were quite turbulent, and the Loomis Corporation went through major changes, including several acquisitions and takeovers. In the late 1990s, the company acquired Wells Fargo Armored. The new company took the name of Loomis, Fargo & Co.

Another chapter of our history took place in the south of Sweden, when Erik Philip-Sorensen founded the security company ‘Helsingborgs Nattvakt’ in 1934. The company quickly expanded through the acquisition of smaller security firms. In 1972, all companies owned by Erik Philip-Sorensen were united under the brand ‘Securitas’.

Erik Philip-Sorensen handed over the control of Securitas to his sons Sven and Jörgen in 1981. The international part of Securitas’ operations has developed into Group 4 Securicor (also known as G4S), whereas the Swedish part of the business operates under the brand Securitas.

In the late 1980s, Securitas launched an international expansion, including acquisitions in Norway, Denmark, and Portugal. In 1991, Securitas was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and acquired several new companies abroad. In 1999, Securitas entered the US market

In 2001, Securitas acquired Loomis, Fargo & Co., and incorporated it into the division Securitas Cash Handling Services. In 2006, Securitas announced its intention to split the business into separate, specialized security companies. Securitas Cash Handling Services assumed the name Loomis.

At a shareholders’ meeting in 2008, the decision was made to distribute all Loomis shares among the Securitas shareholders. Moreover, the Loomis board applied to be listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. The company has been listed there since December 9th, 2008.

In 2009, Loomis established a subsidiary in Slovakia and kept expanding internationally between 2010 and 2011. Several additional acquisitions were made in the US, and Loomis entered the Czech and Turkish markets too.

In 2012, Loomis expanded into South America through the acquisition of the Argentinian company Vigencia.

In 2014, Loomis acquired VIA MAT Holding AG, which enabled them to expand their services by adding international valuables logistics to the existing Cash in Transit and Cash Management Services lines of business. International valuables logistics consist of two types of operations: cross-border transportation of cash and precious metals, and storage of valuables. As a result of the acquisition, Loomis also became the market leader in cash handling in Switzerland.

In 2018, Loomis expanded its business in foreign exchange (FX) by acquiring CPoR in France. The FX services include wholesale purchase and sale of banknotes for banks and currency exchange offices, as well as a secure transport service for the collection and delivery of banknotes to bank branches throughout France and some other French-speaking territories.

Currently, Loomis offers secure and comprehensive solutions for the distribution, handling, storage, and recycling of cash and other valuables for banks, retailers, and more. With revenue of SEK 20 billion in 2019 alone. Loomis operates through 400+ branches worldwide and employs around 22,000 people.