Maw Comms news

10 Jan, 18 Howes Percival acts in Aspall sale to Molson Coors  

Leading regional law firm Howes Percival has played a key role in the sale of Suffolk-based cider maker Aspall to American brewing giant Molson Coors.  The firm acted for the family shareholders in the sale.

Founded in 1728 by Clement Chevallier and run by the eighth generation of his family, Aspall is known for producing premium cider products as well as organic cider vinegar.  Aspall operates from a single site in the parish of Aspall, Suffolk, where the Chevallier family first planted the orchards at Aspall Hall.

The deal will see members of the family remain as part of the business and play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of Aspall.

Howes Percival has advised the family for over 30 years and provided a wide range of services relating to the transaction including corporate, tax, banking & finance, property, employment law, IP and regulatory.

The team was led by Corporate partner Nathan Horton with partners Edward Lee (corporate), Stuart Maggs (tax), Chris Rees (banking) and Catherine Scott (property).

Nathan Horton commented, “We’re absolutely delighted for the family, who have worked so hard to build a fantastic business.  We’ve worked alongside them for many years now and are very proud to be associated with the family and such a great brand.  The deal allows the business to grow and seek out new markets for their unique products, while the family remain closely involved.”

“At Howes Percival we were able to put together an incredibly strong team to cover a wide range of issues related to the deal.  We’ve invested heavily in our office network and partner level expertise in the last three years and this kind of deal is typical of the transactions we are increasingly involved in.”

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For further information please contact:

Gordon or Liz at MAW Communications (www.mawcomms.co.uk) on 01603 505 845

 Notes to editors:

Howes Percival has offices in Cambridge, Leicester, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Norwich.  It has 43 partners and 136 lawyers in total.

The firm is recommended in The Legal 500 – the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms.  In 2017, no fewer than 12 different departments achieved the guide’s highest possible ranking (Tier 1): Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation; Dispute Resolution – Debt Recovery; Finance – Insolvency and Corporate Recovery; Human Resources – Employment Law; Human Resources – Health and Safety; Private Client – Agriculture and Estates; Private Client – Tax, Trusts and Probate; Real Estate – Commercial Property; Real Estate – Environment; Real Estate – Property litigation; Real Estate – Planning; Technology, Media & Telecoms – Intellectual Property.