The Sphering Group is a front-line player in flue and air care in Europe with a renowned expertise in design, manufacturing and distribution of innovative high-quality chimney and ventilation systems.

The Sphering Group wanted to expand its European presence with a location in the UK and targeted a competitor, SFL Ltd, previously part of the Stamm International Corp. who was the No. 2 manufacturer of flues and chimneys in the UK with well-established distribution in the USA and Far East.

Sherrards were introduced to Sphering Group via the London division of the French Chamber of Commerce and were quickly instructed to assist on the targeted acquisition of SFL.  

This was Sphering Group’s first targeted UK acquisition of a trading business, and the deal took almost two years to complete due to the cross jurisdictional nature and complexities in the company raised during the research phase and resulting in a complicated escrow fund held by J P Morgan on behalf of the parties and to cover against potential and significant risks of claims associated with the trading business. 

The acquisition was eventually successful and adds R&D capabilities and a sixth manufacturing plant to Sphering Group’s industrial capacities already operating in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. With the integration of SFL teams, the Group now employs 800 people across Europe.

 

To find out more, contact the Corporate team. 

 

 

Sherrards coordinated directly with Donlim and acted alongside a major law firm in China, as the transaction was subject to extensive negotiations, including requiring approval from the Chinese government. The transaction was completed in March 2023.

Donlim is headquartered in Shunde, Guangdon, China, and is a major manufacturer of home kitchen appliances and other electrical products, with over 28,000 staff and revenues of RMB 14.9 billion in 2021. Donlim wished to expand its portfolio of international brands by acquiring Morphy Richards, a well regarded British brand established in 1936, and for whom Donlim had been manufacturing products under contract for some time.  MRCA was, before the transaction, owned by Glen Dimplex, an Irish company, and has substantial operations in the UK in addition to other major markets in China, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Glen Dimplex retained the rights to the Morphy Richards brand in other key international markets. The transaction received significant press coverage in the UK and Ireland.

Following completion, Donlim has acquired a permanent presence in the UK and will use this as a platform to expand its consumer appliances offering in the UK market, as well as now having the benefit of an esteemed British brand to use in its operations overseas.

To find out more, contact James Crook. 

Abroo Khan, has now qualified from the Sherrards Training Academy and will be joining the Private Wealth team as a Solicitor.

Abroo has been a trainee with the firm now for just over two years, where she has been working alongside various departments, such as Commercial Property, Dispute Resolution, Corporate and Commercial, in order to grow her knowledge and understanding of the legal world.

Partner and Head of Private Wealth, Nicole Marmor, says, “It is brilliant news to have Abroo join our growing team. We have seen how hard she has worked throughout her time as part of the Sherrards Training Academy and we look forward to seeing her grow in her career with us.” 

With regards to our Trainee Solicitors,

Max Marmor joins the Commercial Property team as a Trainee Solicitor in London, after working alongside the Dispute Resolution team and  Commercial Property team as a paralegal for the past year.

We also congratulate Mike Jenkins who is promoted to Trainee Solicitor in the Commercial Property team in St Albans, after working alongside the team there for the past 10 months.

Lastly, we welcome Gabriel Cooke as a Trainee Solicitor to the Corporate and Commercial team in St Albans. Gabriel has been working alongside both the Employment, and Corporate and Commercial teams as a legal Admin Assistant for the past 7 months.

Sherrards Trainee Academy Partner, Michael Lewis says, “It is fantastic to see the Trainee Academy grow and see three excellent members of the team stay with us to begin their career as lawyers. We look forward to supporting them on their route to becoming Solicitors. I am also delighted that Abroo is qualifying with the firm after a highly successful training contract with us.”

We asked Anne-Maree Dunn, Client Partner and Head of Tax at WMT to sit down with us and talk about working alongside the teams at Sherrards. This comes as part of our client testimonial video project to showcase the Sherrards teams, the people we support and how we support them.

Anne-Maree advises business owners and individuals on tax opportunities and challenges and works closely alongside many of the team from Sherrards including our Corporate and Commercial, Commercial Property, Employment, Residential Property and Private Wealth teams.

These videos were filmed by Pearldrop Video Production at The Hub on Verulam.

To find out more about WMT and Anne-Maree Dunn, click here.

Leading food manufacturer, Around Noon, has acquired the Soho Sandwich Company to create an enlarged group with 800 employees.

Partner in the Corporate & Commercial department at Sherrards Solicitors, Leigh Head, supported the Soho Sandwich Company through the acquisition alongside Senior Associate Emma O’Meara from our Employment department who dealt with the Employment aspects.

They worked alongside WMT Chartered Accountants, ensuring a smooth deal.  

Around Noon was created over 30 years ago in Northern Ireland, and is now one of the major food producers and distributors in the UK.

The company will remain to be overseen by its current Managing Director, Daniel Silverston, as the company will continue to operate under its own brand inside the Around Noon group.

Daniel Silverston announced the deal in London on the 7^th of June 2023, where the story has now been released on BBC news and other various food article websites.

Click here to read the press release from The Food Manufacture

Click here to read the press release from Just Food

OneSky Flight has a large aviation portfolio providing the industry’s leading private jet travel solutions. The deal allowed our client to expand its airline booking service into helicopters as a complimentary business providing their customers with a complete aircraft travel solution. 

To find out about similar cases, please contact Leigh Head. 

Big Issue Invest has made a significant investment in VU X Earth Limited, the new holding company set up to acquire the group.

Music and arts ventures have been heavily affected by the pandemic so the new funding will allow for additional refurbishment and a training workspace for young people entering the music industry. Over the next five years VU will be collaborating with Hackney Empire, Hackney Music Service and Progression Session, a music charity that provides a platform for young artists and trains young creatives for careers in the industry.

The investment means they can get right back to hosting some of the greatest musicians from around the globe, supporting and inspiring new talent.

You can read more about the investment in Access All Areas, by clicking here.

To find out more, please contact Leigh Head. 

Screwfast Foundations Ltd are leaders in the design, supply and installation of helical piles and UK & International steel foundation solutions. They are well-known in the construction industry, having worked on prestigious construction projects such as the London 2012 Olympics and the government’s smart motorways programme.

The team worked to a tight timeframe to ensure that the sale took place in line with the requirements of the PLC buyer. The deal was structured with complex provisions regarding the existing plant and machinery of Screwfast.

This matter have been written about in the Construction Enquirer.

To hear about similar cases, please contact the Corporate team. 

 They continue to undertake a wide variety of work including advising on acquisitions and disposals, reviewing and updating the full suite of franchise agreements for roll-out across the network.

The Sherrards Employment team also support their head office with their employment law and HR needs, as well as advising on matters involving the franchisees.

This year the Franchising team have worked closely with Winkworth to update their internal new and renewal processes for franchisees in their network with the planned roll out of a new franchise agreements to their network of franchisees (circa 110) in their network. 

To find out more, please contact Leigh Head. 

The Sherrards Corporate & Commercial team and Commercial property team worked together to support with the sale of The Plough in Sleepshyde to Gorgeous Pubs (an independent pub company). 

This company are the owners of The Bull in Highgate and a local microbrewery. They reopened The Plough in October 2021 with great success.

Sherrards’ property and corporate teams worked together to complete the transfer of each constituent part of the business to the new buyer.