AN OXFORDSHIRE furniture design business has been sold to school computer supplier RM in a £2.69m deal.

Isis Concepts, in Tetsworth, produces the Newton chair, which promises to end schoolchildren’s backache — and transform classrooms.

It is run by former motorsport engineer Nick Topliss, of Marsh Gibbon, who was inspired to act when his daughter changed schools, and he noticed that her handwriting suddenly improved because she had the correct size chair.

The 35-strong workforce will now transfer to RM, based at Milton Park, near Didcot.

RM is paying £1.14m in cash on completion of the deal, another £0.97m after one year, and up to £0.58m over the following two years if ambitious growth targets are met.

RM already sells a range of Isis Concepts’ furniture, which is being used in several of the Government's Building Schools for the Future projects, and the two companies have worked jointly on several projects.

RM will acquire Pars Commercial Holdings, the holding company which owns Isis Concepts. Revenues in the year to December 2008 were £3.6m, with profit before interest and tax of £380,000.

Mr Topliss has agreed to remain with RM for a minimum of three years to drive the growth plans.

Terry Sweeney, chief executive of RM, said: “Isis is great business, with excellent products and ideas that really help schools build inspiring educational spaces.

“They’ll make a real contribution to our vision of helping teachers to teach and learners to learn.”

Mr Topliss said: “We collaborated with RM on the ground-breaking Future Learning Spaces display at the BETT show in January and, between us, demonstrated that bringing together technology and furniture with a clear educational vision makes for an inspiring learning environment.”

RM, which employs 1,000 people at Milton Park and another 1,500 worldwide, has seen its turnover grow by 21 per cent to £141.9m for the six months to March 31. Pre-tax profits remain the same at £0.2m.

Announcing the results last week, Mr Sweeney said that Government spending on education was up six per cent this year and scheduled to rise another 1.3 per cent next year.

Asked about fears that the Government will be forced to cut education spending. Mr Sweeney, who has been chief executive at RM for just under a year, said: “I believe there will be a medium term squeeze.

“But we are diversifying, becoming more international and feel we have a plan to put us in a good position in future.”