Case Studies

 In September 2007, the family-owned company behind convenience chain Smile Stores and its wholesale delivery business have been sold to the UK’s largest independent neighbourhood retailer and the UK’s number one wholesaler.

 

Symonds Holdings Limited, which owned and operated 90 Smile Stores including 30 in Bristol, 12 in Bath and 8 in Gloucester as well as Swindon and other parts of the South West, has been sold to Martin McColl Retail Group Limited which is best known for its ‘Martin’s the newsagent’ brand of stores. Martin McColl is the UK’s largest chain of newsagents with over 900 stores; it also has over 300 convenience stores under branded McColl’s.

 

Symonds’ wholesale delivery arm, T&A Symonds Limited has been sold to its South West rival and the UK’s largest wholesaler, Palmer & Harvey McLane. T&A Symonds delivered wholesale goods to more than 600 customers across the South West, including 500 independent retailers, 90 Smile Stores, and 75 shops trading under the Key Lekkerland symbol fascia. The company also services multiple retail groups as a member of the Key Lekkerland wholesale alliance. The Yeovil depot will be incorporated into the Palmer & Harvey McLane network, providing additional capacity. T&A Symonds’ workforce, sales teams and most of the senior management team will join the new company.

 

The commercial property and corporate services teams at West-based Withy King Solicitors and Old Mill Accountancy acted for Symonds Holdings and T&A Symonds, while PricewaterhouseCoopers advised on the deal.

 

 

In September 2007, Withy King’s Corporate Services Department acted for Richard Barber in the sale of his furniture retail company “Baldwins”. The company operated from premises in Cirencester as well as online. The company was sold to a well established furniture business in Bath. The deal was completed to a very tight timescale, as is often required at the particular time of year, owing to sellers wishing to get the deal completed prior to their holiday. 

 

 

In July 2007, a Wiltshire nursing home for people suffering from alzheimers and dementia has been sold to Caring Homes, the largest independently-owned care home group in the UK.

 

Miranda House Nursing Home in Wootton Bassett has been sold by owner-managers Peter and Clare Saunders to the Caring Homes group which is renowned for its groundbreaking approach to raising standards within the industry. The purpose-built nursing home is located close to the high street and can accommodate 68 residents in single rooms.

 

Mr Saunders said: “We are delighted to have secured excellent buyers for the home, thanks to the support of the specialist care sector team at Withy King Solicitors. They handled all aspects of the business and property sale, and were instrumental in ensuring the deal was completed quickly and smoothly.”

 

 

 

In March 2007, A well-established husband and wife-led motoring company has been sold to another family-run business with the help of Bath-based Withy King Solicitors.

 

Motor Services (Bath) Limited which operates Millhouse Audi in Prior Park Road, the Volkswagen dealership in Locksbrook Road and a servicing and parts business for VW, Ford and Skoda based at Methuen Park, Chippenham, has been sold to Cwmbran Motors Limited for an undisclosed sum.

 

Withy King’s corporate services team assisted the sellers, Peter and Hildegard Edwards, who bought the business 15 years ago and built it up from a turnover of £1.4m to over 15 times that and a staff of 14 which has grown to over 100 in that period. The Edwards, who live in Bradford-on-Avon, have retired from the motor trade after 40 years in the business.

 

“I am delighted to hand over a thriving and successful company to an excellent family-run business which will ensure the future and continued progression of the company and staff. I am also grateful for the support and advice given by the corporate services division of Withy King,” said Peter Edwards.

 

The Cleverly family, who established Cwmbran Motors Limited in 1976 and have six Audi, VW, Ford and Skoda dealerships across South East Wales, have become the new owners. Millhouse Audi will be renamed Bath Audi and the VW dealership will be known as Bath Volkswagen. Construction of a new state-of-the-art Audi dealership in Peasedown St. John is due to get underway in April, replacing the existing dealership in Prior Park Road when the new site is completed at the end of the year.

 

Gavin Cleverly, a Director of Cwmbran Motors Limited, said: “We have exciting plans for our new Bath dealerships and the existing parts and servicing centre in Chippenham. The businesses fit very well together, both in terms of our existing brand portfolio and the working culture we share.”

In January 2007, Withy King has successfully completed the sale of Oriel Lodge a residential care home and Bath Community Care Limited which provides domiciliary care to people in their own homes.

 

Commercial property teams and corporate services lawyers at Withy King handled all the aspects of the two sales (an asset sale and a share sale) on behalf of husband and wife team Tony and Kathleen Crabb, who had owned and run the 33 bedroom residential home and domiciliary care business in Swainswick, Bath, since 1998.

 

The two businesses were bought by Grove Care Limited.

 

 

 

In December 2006, Care home specialist at Withy King have successfully sold Ferfoot Care Home in Chippenham to one of the largest privately-owned care home groups in the UK.

 

Withy King advised Major and Mrs Barton on all aspects of the sale. Majore Barton who has now retired from the care home business, said: “Normally, you sell your business only once. Unless you have the experience of the complicated intricacies and legalities of business sales, it is essential to be able to put trust in the hands of a reputable, experienced third party. Withy King were that third party for us and we at no time had any regrets in making that decision.”

 

 

In July 2007, Withy King advised CBPN Limited on its recent acquisition, financed by the Bank of Ireland, of the entire issued share capital of Sutton Veny House Limited which owns the care home Sutton Veny House. The team was led by Katharine Mortimer (corporate) and head of Care Home Sector Group Paul Daniels (property).

 

Sutton Veny House is registered for 28 residents and occupies a grade II listed building in approximately 16 acres near Warminster in Wiltshire. 

 

 

In October 2007, Withy King advised Zenith International Publishing Limited, a producer of business magazines and websites for the global food and drink industry, on its acquisition of Haydon Jackson Publishing Limited.   Haydon Jackson was formed in 2002 and publishes Food & Beverage International with a circulation of 13,000 alongside Alimentos y Bebidas and Alimentos e Bebidas for the South American market.