International Service Systems (ISS), the international industrial cleaning company, has increased its operating profit by 40 per cent to 401 million Danish krones (€54.2 million) in the first half of 1999.

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, ISS owns Contract Cleaners in Ireland which generates annual sales of some £14 million (€17.8 million). ISS increased its sales by 29 per cent to DKK8 billion (€1.08 billion) in the first half.

In May it announced the acquisition of Abilis, the second largest cleaning company in Europe. This, ISS said, increases its annualised turnover to more than DKK20 billion and the number of employees to 200,000. The Irish operation employs 2,500 people.