International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has advised its longstanding client Lomond Group on the purchase of a major estate agency chain in Hampshire and Surrey.
The firm has advised Lomond, backed by LDC, on the purchase of Charters Estate Agents, an agency covering more than 2,800 properties across nine branches from Southampton to Farnham. The acquisition will boost the firm's presence and scope for growth within the South and South West of England.
The WBD team, led by partner Simon Pilling and managing associate David Ridley, advised on the transaction, with support from associate Karen Davies and solicitor Bede Finnigan from the firm's corporate team, along with additional backing from specialists across WBD's offices.
The transaction is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Lomond, and the business now manages more than 42,500 properties over 100 branches throughout the UK.
David Ridley said:
"This acquisition marks a major piece of the puzzle for Lomond in their aims to further support agencies across the UK, and it's been a pleasure working with the Lomond M&A team to make this significant deal possible.
This was a deal which had a lot of moving parts and required input across a range of practice areas and we are pleased to be able to continue to support this long-standing client."
Robert Hamilton, Group Head of M&A for Lomond, said:
"This strategic acquisition will help expand our footprint in Hampshire and extend into Surrey, significantly enhancing our market presence and supporting our ongoing acquisitive growth strategy.
We would like to thank David, Simon and the rest of the WBD team for their support. The team's hard work and expertise was vital to enabling this deal, which represents a strong move into a new region where we see great opportunity for growth."