GARDAWORLD LOSES BID TO NAB WORLD'S LARGEST SECURITY FIRM.

Allied Universal made the highest bid in an auction for Britain's G4S, defeating a final bid from Canada's GardaWorld after a months-long battle for the security specialist. Here is a look at the British security company's history, tracing its roots back more than a 100 years to Scandinavia.

1901-1990s: Businesses offering night patrols on bicycles and motorized ambulances are set up in Scandinavia and Britain that later spawn three main groups through various deals over decades: Securicor (based in Britain), Falck (Denmark) and Sweden's Group 4 (Total Security)

Early 2000s: Mergers and acquisitions continue: Group 4 Falck is established that eventually becomes Group 4 Securicor and is listed on the London Stock Exchange 2006: G4S brand is rolled out

2007: G4S enters the FTSE 100 index, but has since been demoted to the FTSE 250 mid-cap index

2013: Ashley Almanza joins G4S as chief executive

2019, May: GardaWorld pulls back interest in G4S after earlier having said it was considering a cash offer for some or all of the company. It never made a formal proposal to G4S during the offer period. 2020, February: G4S agrees to sell most of cash handling business to Brinks in a 727-million-pound deal 2020, September: G4S rejects 190-pence-a-share hostile bid from GardaWorld revealing it had earlier rejected two more proposals. The proposal had valued the UK-listed company at 2.97 billion pounds

2020, October: Allied Universal expresses interest in making an offer for G4S 2020, December: G4S agrees to be bought out by Allied for 3.8 billion pounds, or 245 pence per share

2021, January: GardaWorld extends buyout offer period for a fifth time

2021, February: Allied Universal extends buyout offer period for a second time, while a media report disclosed G4S planned to hold talks with the Takeover Panel. The $5-billion-plus bid battle for Britain's G4S is settled by a rare head-to-head auction after neither of its two North American suitors prevailed.

CARL RECINE / LIVEPIC ACTION IMAGES FILE Allied's acquisition of G4S creates a larger private security firm employing more than 750,000 worldwide.