The Business Briefing – a round up of deals done in the South East Midlands in January

10 February 2015

The New Year has prompted a bright new start for a number of companies across the South East Midlands, with a string of high-profile deals prompting a wave of international investment into the area.

Significantly, private equity firms returned to the market, sealing new investments and making healthy returns on strongly-performing assets.

• Adaero Precision Components Ltd, a Northampton-based industrial manufacturing company became the latest South East Midlands company to attract the attention of international buyers, when it was acquired by Sweden’s Indutrade AB. A global leader in its field, Indutrade manufactures and distributes industrial components including hydraulics, pipe systems and pumps. The company posted revenues of £693m in 2013, with an operating income of £77.6m. In 2014 Adaero, which produces high-precision components and supplies customers in the defence, medical and aerospace industries, generated annual revenues of £4.4m.
• Corby-based clay pigeon and cartridge manufacturer Clark Clay Industries Ltd backed the management team in its buy-out of Promatic Group Ltd, a Cheshire based firm that manufactures and distributes automatic clay shooting traps. The deal provides an exit for NVM Private Equity, which supported the original £7.5m buy-out of Promatic in 2007.
• Bicester-based SilverRail Technologies UK Ltd, developers of an online rail ticket booking platform, acquired a 75 per cent stake in Linkon AB, a Swedish firm that operates online booking systems for the travel industry.
• TC Landscapes Ltd (TCL), a Northampton-based provider of outdoor estate management and landscape installation services, acquired Wiltshire-based Playforce Ltd, designer and builder of children’s play areas to schools. The deal was secured after TCL received further investment from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) and is the third acquisition TCL has completed in seven months. TCL Group is on track to achieve turnover of £45m this financial year, up from £22m at the time of BGF’s first investment in May 2014.
• Totalpost Services Plc, a Cumbria-based company that manufactures, develops and distributes electronic mailroom equipment, acquired Mailing & Mechanisation (UK) Ltd in Daventry, which manufactures mail insertion machinery.
• Hemel Hempstead-based Trinity Property Group Ltd, which provides property management services, acquired the McDonald Partnership Ltd, a company registered in Milton Keynes and trading in Sheffield. The deal adds a further 4,500 units to Trinity’s 45,000 unit portfolio.
• Private equity firms Inflexion and LDC announced they have sold their remaining stakes in Kettering-based National Accident Helpline, a provider of services that help people claim compensation for injuries they have suffered in accidents. Each investor sold 6.2 million ordinary shares at 227p per share, raising a total of £27.9m.
• Mikey Wastie and Steve Wood, two directors of Autofarm, a Bicester-based independent Porsche specialist, completed the buyout of the business from its founding owner Josh Sadler. The deal will see all current staff remain with the company, with new recruitment expected over the forthcoming months.

If you would like to be included in February’s Business Briefing please get in touch.