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 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.”
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