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. Using a dog sled, he supplied Alaskan miners with commodities and equipment and returned with pockets full of gold. Twenty years later, he founded the Loomis Armored Car Service. At a cost of $8,000, he manufactured and put into operation the first custom-built secure armored transport vehicle, later called "Old Number One." The company expanded its activities to the western U.S. and Canada.

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

Another chapter in our history took place in southern Sweden, when Erik Philip-Sorensen founded the security company "Helsingborgs Nattvakt" in 1934. The company expanded rapidly by acquiring smaller security companies. In 1972, all companies owned by Erik Philip-Sorensen were united under the brand name "Securitas".

Erik Philip-Sorensen transferred control of Securitas to his sons Sven and Jörgen in 1981. The international part of Securitas' operations has become Securitas Group 4 Securicor (also known as G4S), while the Swedish part of the business operates under the Securitas brand.

In the late 1980s, Securitas began 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 U.S. market.

In 2001, Securitas acquired Loomis, Fargo & Co. and incorporated it into the Securitas Cash Handling Services division. 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, it was decided to distribute all Loomis shares to Securitas shareholders. In addition, the board of Loomis applied for a listing on the OMX Nordic exchange in Stockholm. The company has been listed there since December 9, 2008.

In 2009, Loomis established a subsidiary in Slovakia and continued to expand internationally between 2010 and 2011. Several additional acquisitions were made in the United States, and Loomis also entered the Czech and Turkish markets.

In 2012, Loomis expanded into South America by acquiring the Argentine company Vigencia.

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

In 2018, Loomis expanded its foreign exchange (FX) business through the acquisition of CPoR in France. FX services include the purchase and wholesale of banknotes for banks and bureaux de change, 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.

Today, Loomis offers secure, end-to-end solutions for the distribution, handling, storage and recycling of cash and other valuables for banks, retailers and more. With revenues of SEK 20 billion in 2019 alone. Loomis operates through more than 400 branches worldwide and employs around 22 000 people.