Sheffield experts advise on South Yorkshire print deal

November 2009

A team effort within Sheffield's professional services sector has enabled local print specialists Garnett Dickinson to strengthen their business base and grow sales to over £45 million with a new acquisition.

From left to right: Richard May (DLA Piper), Steve Bell (Hart Shaw), Nick Alexander (Garnett Dickinson), David Beech (DLA Piper) & Terry Busby (Garnett Dickinson)

Local lawyers DLA Piper and the corporate finance team at Hart Shaw advised Garnett Dickinson on their purchase of fellow printers Acorn Web Offset, who are based in Normanton, near Wakefield and were part of the Guardian Media Group. The deal was also financed locally, by HSBC.

Rotherham based Garnett Dickinson, which moved to new premises on the former colliery of Brookfield's Park three years ago to expand its facilities, is well known in South Yorkshire as publishers of local titles like the South Yorkshire Business magazine, Rotherham Advertiser and Rotherham Record. The deal will bring new staff and capacity to the business, which will allow it to pursue major contracts that would have previously been out of reach.

Chris Sellars, Corporate Finance Partner at Hart Shaw, commented; “The acquisition of this business by Garnett Dickinson reflects management’s long term aim of developing this historical South Yorkshire Company. We continue to work with the Company on a number of potential transactions and are pleased to have supported this acquisition that delivers a step change in the business. Working closely with DLA we identified a structure that secures the core business whilst allowing management the confidence to pursue further opportunities as the market continues to consolidate.”

Richard May, DLA Piper's head of corporate M&A in Sheffield explains; "Garnett Dickinson is a local company with a national and increasingly global reach, and this acquisition will allow them to grow their business base even further in the region.

"This deal was a real team effort by ourselves and colleagues at Hart Shaw, and we see it as being a great example of how the skills and expertise of the professional services providers in Sheffield can bring about a great result for clients."

Nick Alexander, Chief Executive of Garnett Dickinson said: “As a business that has been in the South Yorkshire region for over 150 years we are proud of the fact that this deal was advised and funded locally. Whilst we look to grow our business we are confident that the teams at DLA Piper and Hart Shaw can continue to provide pro-active, strategic advice to the Board in what are potentially uncertain times.”