62 DOING THE DEAL
Continued from Page 61
We looked particularly at family businesses where we could add value and businesses we understand. The majority of the key people in every business we’ve acquired have stayed. It goes back to that family business point; a family business is run with a different set of morals.
You have people who are loyal to the name, they’re loyal to the management team. We’ve got people in our business who my grandfather started working in the 1990s and they’re still there now.
The management is visible to everyone, that is how we operate. You are not a number in an organisation and if you can keep that in a business it motivates people to do their best for you, because they’re loyal to the company, they’re loyal to you.
If there is a business that presents itself, or one we particularly want to go for, if it fits our plan, it fits our strategy, it doesn’t really matter what’s going on in the outside world.
We went on the M&A journey and then we started getting private equity approaches. We took the business to a certain stage and thought that one day we would have to create an equity event. It was about finding the right PE partner.
We’ve got an M&A pipeline which we’re fairly well progressed with which we started before the deal completed.
Morgan Rothwell is co-founder of Barrowford-based design agency D&M Creative. In July this year the business made its first acquisition, Stoked Marketing of Colne
I started the business back in 2002 with co-founder Damian Greenwood and we have built up a really good, solid agency with some really good clients.
I’ve had friends all around me that had been doing deals but never thought about what we were going to do next until we received an approach.
There were a number of challenges in there but some really significant clients that we wanted to work with.
For us it was about getting the clients onboard and making sure that the people came along and fitted into our culture.
For us it was about getting the clients
onboard and making sure that the people came along and fitted into our culture
Touch wood, it’s been a great process for us, we’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve got 11 staff and we’re opening a content studio which is going to be a really good move forward for us.
The deal has allowed us to develop our clients further because we’ve got new skills. We were struggling with recruitment.
I’ve taken on the MD role and it has changed significantly the way I view the business, the way I view our future. It’s a big change of culture and has been fantastic for growth and the bottom line.
Ben Smith Director, Interpath Debt Advisory Team
About us
Our fast-growing North West team is made up of more than 130 professionals and provides a full-service deal advisory offer, including lead M&A, financial due diligence, and debt advisory, alongside cross-capability service lines in valuations, pensions, tax, and data and technology. Our established restructuring offering has a heritage dating back more than 50 years, and covers financial restructuring, contingency planning and formal restructuring and insolvency.
Our achievements
Our deal advisory team brings ‘Big Four’ quality with ‘boutique’ agility and while the Big Four moves out of the regional mid-market, we’re committed to investing in it. We work closely together across service lines. Recent transactions include advising Naked Wines plc on its £55m refinancing; the acquisition of Australia-based Allied Grain Systems by Mitchells Group, and the sale of Stacatruc by shareholders and Merino Capital to YFM Equity Partners.
Advice for Lancashire businesses looking to buy or sell?
For buyers, the key to a smooth transaction is doing your diligence properly. This gives sight of risks and opportunities so that you can best develop integration plans, ensure cultural alignment, create value, and, critically, pay the right price. For sellers., it is all about preparation. It takes time and real commitment to establish an effective sales process. Sales processes can be demanding, so having the right adviser alongside you is essential.
interpath.com About us
Napthens has been delivering award-winning legal services to clients locally, regionally, nationally and internationally from the North West of England for more than a century and is recognised as one of the most active advisers on transactions in the region.
Our achievements
As an award winning, Tier 1 Legal 500 firm – outside Manchester – the practice continues to grow with investment in people and technology. Napthens has built a strong reputation for mergers and acquisition advisory work. In 2024 it was shortlisted for two Dealmakers Awards and two Red Rose Awards. Commercial property lawyer Matthew Parr was shortlisted for Young Lawyer of the Year.
Advice for Lancashire businesses looking to buy or sell?
Surround yourself with the right people to support your sale or purchase. They will be invaluable to guide you through the process, ensuring you, your staff and business get the best possible outcome. Equally it means you are supported through the process. For many clients this will be the biggest event of their corporate lives as well as a huge personal milestone, for others a very significant one. Obtaining help from people who have done it many times before will allow you to benefit from that experience and make the process smoother.
napthens.co.uk
Richard Robinson Partner, Napthens
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74
