Maw Comms news
Deal completed: Ben Burgess acquires John W. Doubleday dealership
East Anglia based farm machinery dealer Ben Burgess has completed the acquisition of fellow John Deere dealership the Doubleday Group.
Ben Burgess has been serving the local farming community since 1931 and has been a John Deere dealer since the brand first entered the UK market in 1965.
The Doubleday Group is an agricultural machinery dealer based in Lincolnshire and Norfolk and the deal will see Ben Burgess expand into Lincolnshire for the first time, adding four more sites to its existing seven. It will take over the Doubleday Group sites at Holbeach, Old Leake and Swineshead in Lincolnshire, as well as increasing its footprint in Norfolk with Doubleday’s depot at Kings Lynn.
Howes Percival advised on the legal aspects of the deal from heads of terms through to completion of the transaction. Larking Gowen and Buzzacott are both members of PrimeGlobal, together they provided corporate finance and tax advice to Ben Burgess. Buckles Solicitors (legal), Springboard (corporate finance) and Claritas (tax) advised the shareholders of the Doubleday Group.
The Howes Percival team was headed up by Richard Turner with assistance from Oliver Pritchard, Helaina Mann and Lizzy Page (corporate), Tessa Haskey and Will Bond (commercial property), Laura Brown (employment), Robert Starr (regulatory), Paula Dumbill and Shivani Pandya (commercial) and Jenna Bruce (intellectual property and data protection).
Howes Percival has one of the leading agriculture legal teams in the Eastern region. Whilst this deal was predominantly a corporate transaction the team leading the deal were able to draw on the significant expertise and knowledge that the firm holds within the agricultural sector.
Howes Percival’s Richard Turner commented, “We are absolutely delighted to be able to advise Ben Burgess on this transaction. It was a complex deal which involved the team having to assist the client in securing a number of third-party approvals and consents required for the transaction to take place. Howes Percival is already well known for its specialism within the agricultural sector in East Anglia but were also able to provide a holistic corporate service covering everything from regulatory advice through to intellectual property.”
James Lay, Corporate Transactions partner at Larking Gowen said “It was particularly satisfying to support Ben Burgess with their negotiations for such a pivotal acquisition. The two businesses are highly compatible, sharing similar cultures and values, and I have no doubt the acquisition will prove a great success in the years to come.”
For more information on Howes Percival’s Corporate team or help with acquisitions or disposals, please visit our website here https://www.howespercival.com/services/corporate/
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For further information please contact: gordon@mawcomms.co.uk
Picture: Ben Burgess director Ben Turner Jr (left) with Ian Doubleday-Collishaw of JW Doubleday. Image courtesy of JW Doubleday.
Notes to editors:
Howes Percival has offices in Cambridge, Leicester, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Norwich. It has 47 partners and 171 lawyers in total.
The firm is recommended in The Legal 500 – the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms. In the 2023 guide, no fewer than 10 different departments achieved the guide’s highest possible ranking (Tier 1): Corporate and Commercial; Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation; Dispute Resolution – Debt Recovery; Finance – Insolvency and Corporate Recovery; Human Resources – Employment Law; Private Client – Tax, Trusts and Probate; Real Estate – Commercial Property; Real Estate – Property litigation; Real Estate – Environment & Planning; Intellectual Property.
About Larking Gowen
Larking Gowen is a major regional independent partnership and one of the UK’s top 40 accountancy firms. Founded in 1888, today Larking Gowen has a team of over 400 people across six offices throughout East Anglia. The firm has experience and expert knowledge across a wide range of sectors including agriculture, medical, charities, education, legal, construction and tourism, as well as specialist teams in corporate finance, personal and corporate tax, VAT, business strategy and support and business recovery.
About PrimeGlobal
PrimeGlobal is an award-winning association of independent accounting and business advisory firms, comprised of more than 300 highly successful independent member firms, in over 100 countries, with a combined annual revenue of more than US$3.9 billion*. PrimeGlobal provides its independent member firms with tools and resources to help them furnish superior accounting, auditing, tax, and advisory services to clients around the globe.
For more information on PrimeGlobal: https://www.primeglobal.net/
