Mazars advises JW Crowther & Son on sale
A historic winter maintenance and cleansing business based in Leeds has been sold to an Essex-headquartered company for an undisclosed fee. JW Crowther & Son was advised by professionals from Mazars on the deal, while Progeny provided legal advice. Purchaser Ground Control Holdings was advised on tax matters by BDO, along with legal support from Blake Morgan.
JW Crowther & Son was founded in 1860 and has been family-run throughout its history. In the last century, the company became an industry leaders in road sweeping services, tippers, plant hire, bulk excavators and tankers. The firm’s current offices are still located on the same land owned by its founders; conveniently positioned alongside the M62 so that we can access the whole of Yorkshire and beyond.
As a new decade begins, the Crowther family has opted to sell the company to Ground Control Holdings, a national external maintenance and commercial landscaping provider. The acquisition encompasses the entirety of the company’s operations, and all 45 employees will remain with the business at its Leeds site, and following the deal, the Crowthers will continue working with the firm post-completion to ensure a smooth handover.
Crowther was advised on matters of the move relating to corporate finance by Mazars’ Leeds M&A team of Oliver Hoffman, Chris Dale and Arran Smedley. A team from Progeny led by Alistair Scott-Somers meanwhile provided legal advice to the sell-side.
Paul Crowther, managing director at Crowther’s, commented, "Since taking on the responsibility for stewarding the business in 1997 I have been proud to watch the business grow, and we’re excited for this new chapter in its growth. We wanted to find a buyer who understood and respected our business and could continue to drive it forwards, as well as ensuring our colleagues and customers were left in safe hands… Our advisers, Mazars and Progeny, were instrumental in guiding and advising us through this process, and we welcome the new era with enthusiasm."
Oliver Hoffman, UK head of M&A at Mazars, added, "This is a positive story for a long-established and highly successful Yorkshire business. This acquisition enables the smooth exit of the existing shareholders and is underpinned by a clear strategy for Crowther’s in its next phase of growth as part of Ground Control."
Purchaser Ground Control is headquartered in Billericay, Essex, and is one of the largest gritting and winter maintenance providers in the UK. The acquisition of Crowther’s adds more than 2,000 customer sites and an extensive network of gritting depots. Ground Control was advised by Blake Morgan for legal advice and by BDO for and tax.
