Case Studies

Case Study: Heatons – a healthy attitude to financial wellbeing

Heatons is one of the largest single source business suppliers in the UK, offering a range of products and services to cater for many business needs.

Established in the Wirral in 1986 by David Heaton Fielding as Heaton Stationery Limited, the business rapidly established itself a firm foothold in the North West and has continued to expand over the years.

Case Study: Coventry City of Culture Trust administration

Coventry’s year as the UK City of Culture was run by Coventry City of Culture Trust, a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.

The trust had planned a three-year legacy arts and culture programme to ensure a long-lasting benefit for the local community, including The Reel Store digital art gallery, and received government funding as well as a number of grants to support the its activities.

Case Study: Liquidation of outdoor equipment retailer produces better-than-expected returns to creditors

Background

The directors of a company selling outdoor equipment approached Armstrong Watson for advice after experiencing financial problems. The company sold goods from two shops and online. The increase in UK-based tourism during the months of restricted travel due to Covid-19 led to a period of healthy profits.

Case Study: Meldrum construction company built on integrity

Dave Meldrum, CEO, of Meldrum Construction Services Group Ltd (Meldrum Group), set up his business with a desire to do something different. He started out in 2001 as a standing start with three other guys in a van. Now, the firm employs more than 220 people and has a targeted turnover in 2024 of £70m.

Case Study: Pre-liquidation sale of assets by directors

Background

Gone South Limited operated a number of bars in the Leeds and Harrogate areas. It had always been profitable apart from the two years when hospitality was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company managed to improve its performance post pandemic but unfortunately a number of connected companies entered administration in early 2024. This resulted in the company’s bank putting it on notice of the intention to enforce a cross-company guarantee, leaving Gone South Ltd unable to meet its debt repayment obligations.

Case Study: Corporate Finance Team supports acquisition of R & A Kay Inspection Services by BES Group

Background

R & A Kay Inspections Services (Rak) is a leading inspection services company catering for onshore oil and gas, petrochemical, industrial gases, chemicals and utilities sector. With its headquarters in Teesside, the business, which was formed in 1984 and then acquired by Executive Chairman Duncan Jarrett in 2007, supports blue chip clients in the UK and Europe with their inspection requirements. The team has built a solid reputation with some of the most skilled and experienced engineers in the country.

Case Study: Corporate Finance team supports sale of Isocom Components to Foresight Group

Background

North East-based Isocom Components 2004 is a well-established manufacturer and supplier of electronic components, with a niche specialism in optocouplers and optoswitches (components that allow an electrical signal to be transmitted between two isolated circuits using infrared light and a photo-sensor). With more than 30 years’ experience, the business supplies companies worldwide, using its global network of distributors and agents, from its base in Hartlepool.

Case Study: Weaving company’s fascinating history sewn into its success

Wyedean Weaving is a company with roots dating back to the Industrial Revolution. Initially formed in Coventry in the 1850s as Dalton, Barton & Co, its founders were pioneers in the narrow fabric industry, and around the turn of the 1900s the company had grown to become the world’s largest haberdasher, with a department store in London.

Case Study: Shareholder buyout of lubricants manufacturer, Ferguson & Menzies

Glasgow-based lubricants manufacturer and distributor, Ferguson & Menzies recently completed a shareholder buy-out, led by Managing Director John Proud, for an undisclosed sum.

Established for over 100 years, Ferguson & Menzies are proudly the only Scottish manufacturer of synthetic and mineral based Oils, lubricants and related products for a wide range of industry sectors across the U.K. and Europe.

Case Study: Management Buyout of family motor repair and retail business

Castle Douglas-based Robertson Gemini Limited, founded by William Robertson in 1921, is a family-owned motor dealer and repair business specialising in providing a high-quality personal service across Dumfries and Galloway, with its growing team of specialist technicians and front-of-house staff. Following its 100th anniversary in 2021, current owner Caroline Robertson, the third generation of the Robertson family to own the business, came to the decision that it was time to let go and contacted Armstrong Watson for support in exploring, broking, managing and advising on the sale process.