Westcotts’ corporate finance team advises on ‘cutting edge’ deal in Gloucestershire

Westcotts has led on the successful acquisition of a family-run tool cutting business for one of its Gloucestershire-based clients.

The firm’s corporate finance team acted as the lead adviser to Stroud tooling solutions company CR Hollands Industrial Supplies on the merger with Concept Tooling (UK) Limited in Gloucester which completed in late December.

The acquisition was led by Alison Watts, partner in Westcotts’ Exeter office, with support from her team including corporate finance manager, Will Mudd and business services partner, Mandy French, along with other tax experts at the firm. Daniel Gresswell, partner at Wollens in Exeter provided legal advice and support.

As part of the deal, Jerry Ballinger, founder of Concept Tooling (UK) and Harry Ballinger have both joined CR Hollands Industrial Supplies. The acquisition gives CR Hollands access to a much broader range of products and suppliers, as well as a larger and complementary customer base.

Alison Watts, partner at Westcotts, said: “We very much enjoyed working with Paul and Neil Hollands and their team on this project. The acquisition demonstrates that despite various headwinds in the general economy, when the right strategic acquisition arises, there is still clear commercial benefit from undertaking this type of M&A activity. We wish the teams at both Concept Tooling (UK) Limited and CR Hollands every success as they move forward together.”

CR Hollands Industrial Supplies, which operates out of South Gloucestershire with coverage across the UK, has been in business since 1975. The company has an excellent reputation for providing cutting and other specialist engineering tools, servicing the precision engineer with a broad range of high-quality tooling solutions to meet ever-changing industry demands.

Commenting on the deal, Paul Hollands, managing director of CR Hollands Industrial Supplies said: “The brief I gave Westcotts was to provide me with targeted and clear advice to enable my team to complete the transaction in a timely fashion, with key risks adequately mitigated. The Westcotts team performed admirably, and they have helped CR Hollands achieve an important strategic goal. I want to thank them for their diligence and professionalism throughout.”

He added: “We very much look forward to working with Jerry and Harry Ballinger, as we continue to grow market share and deliver fantastic customer service to all of our stakeholders.”

CR Hollands Industrial Supplies provides its customers with next-day UK delivery, as well as a network of point-of-use dispensing/vending systems which are physically located on-site at customer premises. For more information about CR Hollands, visit www.crhollands.co.uk.

To speak with a member of Westcotts corporate finance team including Alison Watts and Will Mudd, please visit our corporate finance page.