Thames Valley: Harrison Clark Rickerbys nudges £1b deals
A record year for the corporate team at Harrison Clark Rickerbys saw the firm complete 110 deals with a total of value of close to £1 billion, encompassing national and international clients as well as local firms.
The firm’s 24-strong corporate team handled the full range of corporate transactions, from mergers and acquisitions to investments and management buyouts. Its corporate expertise has been recognised in leading legal directories, with the team’s practical and problem-solving skills highlighted and their experience across the board acknowledged.
Partner Nick Wagstaffe, who leads the corporate team in the Thames Valley, said: “I know that growth in the economy is slow at the moment, and the CBI’s surveys show that professional services firms are less optimistic than they were because it is a tough market, but I think our experience shows that the right mix of flexibility, experience and the ability to build business relationships can win through.”
Deals during the year included acting for Paragon Bank plc in the £117 million acquisition of Five Arrows Leasing Group; acting for RCapital when investing in and disposing of Rolling Luggage to Samsonite in America; acting for management with Westbridge Capital in its investment in Tewkesbury firm DB Systems and acting for GIL Investments in two management buyouts: Ashworths from Jewson Building Products and MCP Environmental LLP.
Wagstaffe added: “As well as the headline-grabbing deals, we are constantly involved in helping small businesses to grow. When a partner wants to retire and sell equity, or when directors want to buy out a business, we are happy to be able to support that too. That sort of deal keeps local economies alive and helps entrepreneurs to move into new sectors. At a time of low growth, that is exactly what we need to encourage.”
Harrison Clark Rickerbys has 400 staff and partners based at offices in the Thames Valley, Cheltenham, Worcester, Hereford, Birmingham and the Wye Valley.
