Key challenges and highlights
The first part of the corporate finance process was to assist the directors of Barenbrug UK in assessing a target business to acquire in Scotland, and to research and collect enough information to determine the value of that business in order to make an offer to purchase it.
Although Watson Seeds fulfilled the acquisition brief, the evaluation process was complicated as the group was comprised of a number of separate businesses.
Once the offer had been accepted, we moved to project manage the process and carry out financial due diligence and from then to support with the contracts. There were also some added interesting challenges navigating some of the differences between English and Scottish law, and of course the input of the Dutch parent company.
Further support has been provided from an accounting perspective as Barenbrug UK, Watson Seeds, Seeds Logistics and GroGreen all continue to function as separate businesses and identities.
What we did to help
- Assessing a target business to acquire in Scotland
- Brokering the transaction from origination to Heads of Terms
- Advising the directors of Barenbrug on the most effective structure for the transaction
- Helping the parties determine and agree on an valuation and pricing mechanism for the purposes of purchasing Watson Seeds
- Project managing and carrying out financial due diligence on Watson Seeds and their associated businesses
- Helping to deal with and resolve matters arising during the course of the due diligence process
- Assisting the directors of Barenbrug to identify appropriate Scottish legal advisers to support with the legal documentation
This transaction demonstrated the Corporate Finance team’s ability to work effectively across national and international transactions. It is also a good example of their ability to support clients through their business journey and to take a collaborative advisory approach on the various elements of the transaction. This joined-up approach resulted in the client benefiting from a cost and time effective service and ensured that the transaction progressed smoothly.