International staffing specialist Empresaria Group is set to make its first US acquisition.

The recruiter announced yesterday it has entered a conditional agreement to purchase healthcare recruiter PS, which includes the companies Pharmaceutical Strategies, Recruitment Strategies, Medical Recruitment Strategies and Recruitment Strategies Group.

Not only does it allow access to the US market, but increases Empresaria’s presence in the healthcare staffing sector. It has a modest exposure to healthcare markets through its business in Finland involved in the recruitment of doctors and dentists and its Indian healthcare outsourcing operation.

Total cost of the acquisition is expected to be US$12.1m (£7.95m). The company plans to raise £3.3m in equity to help fund the deal.

The £3.3m will be raised by issuing a maximum of 4.5m new shares in an accelerated bookbuild, a short-term offering with little or no marketing, run by Empresaria’s nominated advisor and broker Arden Partners. Shares are expected to be offered at a minimum of 75p, a 12% reduction on Monday’s closing price.

The rest will be funded with a new £4.5m debt facility provided by bank HSBC and future cash flows.

In 2014 PS recorded earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $600k on revenue of about $7.6m, Empresaria said in a statement.

Arden Partners said in a statement it had increased Empresaria’s full-year 2016 expected earnings by 5%.