Contributors
International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) had a strong period of growth for its private equity team over the course of 2024, buoyed by acting on a number of successful transactions for both institutional investors and the management teams of leading businesses.
The team advised on private equity deals totalling a value of more than £800m, helping transform and reposition businesses across the UK and beyond for further growth.
Headlining these transactions was the major investment from global asset manager ICG into estate and letting agency organisation Lomond, providing a strong partner for the group’s continued M&A growth strategy.
WBD continues to be a key advisor to Lomond on its acquisition journey, which following completion of multiple deals in 2024 now sees the organisation manage more than 60,000 properties across the UK. Deals of note included the purchase of Kinleigh Folkard & Howard and Chase Evans in London, Miles & Barr in Kent, and Charters in Surrey and Hampshire.
The firm advised on a range of investments across the retail, hospitality, and leisure industries, including supporting private equity firm Piper on investments into both Inside Travel Group, a cultural adventures company focusing on unique experiences on the Asian continent, and specialist travel operator Martin Randall Travel.
A WBD team supported the £15m investment into personalised pet food company Pure Pet Food by Felix Capital and Mercia Ventures, which will see the Yorkshire-based organisation continue to expand across the UK. The firm also advised on the sale of the Midlands based pet retail business Kennelpak (backed by Enact) to Pets & Friends.
Simon Pilling, head of private equity at Womble Bond Dickinson, said:
"There is no doubt that 2024 was one of the strongest years in recent memory for the PE team in regards to getting deals across the line and supporting our clients to achieve further growth and return on their investments.
"The sheer number of deals, as well as the significance of many of them not only on the organisations involved, but the markets in which they operate, is incredibly encouraging. We're proud to have played a major role in these transactions and we look forward to continuing this trajectory of growth in 2025."
The firm's support on the sale of engineering business Cutwel to Inflexion in August marked more than six years of advising NorthEdge, while another long-term investor the team supported in 2024 was NVM, supporting on a range of transactions including the £15m investment into plant-based ingredient supplier Vegetarian Express, and the buyout of process and manufacturing product supplier MRO+ Solutions.
LDC was also a very active client which saw significant activity beyond the Lomond transaction, with the firm supporting on their major investment into credit risk technology group LendingMetrics, as well as a £12m investment into tech-enabled and ESG-focused water management consultancy Waterscan.
Other deals the firm has supported on over the course of 2024 included the £15m sale of historic soft drink manufacturer Clearly Drinks (backed by NorthEdge), the management buyout of Hull-based Hawthorn Timber Limited (backed by Nimbus), and the investment into Fera Science Limited by Bridgepoint.
