Clifton Ingram Solicitors, led by corporate partner Barry Niven and property partner Tim Read, has advised Longacres Garden Centre on its acquisition of Bybrook Barn Garden Centre in Ashford, Kent, which will trade under the name of Longacres Bybrook Barn.
Nigel Long, managing director of Longacres commented, “Longacres has a long association with Clifton Ingram, with the firm advising us on a wide variety of legal matters across many different fields. During the course of this complex acquisition, the corporate, property, employment teams at Clifton Ingram delivered not only the prerequisite legal expertise required but their insight as a trusted legal advisor meant we knew they really understood the drivers of our business and could work with us to achieve our outcomes.”
The original Longacres Garden Centre in Bagshot, Surrey has been the highest turnover garden centre in the UK for seven years, according to the Horticulture Week Garden Retail Top 100 list. Three years ago Clifton Ingram also advised Longacres on its acquisition of Thompson's Garden Centre in Shepperton which last year won 'Best Garden Centre Development' in HW's Garden Retail Awards.
Barry Niven, partner in the Corporate Services Team at Clifton Ingram said, “We are delighted to have worked with Nigel Long and his team on this transaction and be able to assist them on their growth and development strategy of expanding their portfolio of garden centres throughout the South.” This was the 8th sizable corporate transaction completed by Clifton Ingram’s Corporate team in the first half of 2016.