Background
Wild & Wolf is a designer and manufacturer of award-winning products, spanning fashion brands such as Ted Baker and Orla Kiely to familiar favourites Scrabble, Mr Men and The Gruffalo. Its products are sold in boutique retailers such as Bloomsbury - whose flagship store is in Bath city centre - and national retailers including John Lewis and Boots.
Our involvement
The acquisition by D. C. Thomson & Company Limited – best known for producing The Sunday Post newspaper and The Beano and The Dandy comics – was completed for an undisclosed sum.
Alex Pyatt and his team worked closely with Wild & Wolf owners Jon and Nancy Cameron on all strategic and legal matters, safely negotiating the legal complexities and bringing matters to a positive conclusion for all parties. Under the terms of the transaction, Mr Cameron, who founded the company with Richard Barson in 2005, continues in his role as Chief Executive of Wild & Wolf. He said of Thrings’ involvement:
“Key to the success of this transaction has been working with professional advisers who not only share our values and focus on clients, but who are also based in the same city. More face-to-face contact has undoubtedly helped Thrings gain a true understanding of our commercial aims and ambitions, which in turn, has enabled us to make key decisions more quickly.”
The outcome
The acquisition enabled Wild & Wolf to continue expanding its product and service offering to a wider customer base, and secure an exciting future for its staff. Mr Cameron said:
“The business has grown significantly in the last two to three years, particularly export sales which now represent around 40% of our business. The deal with D.C. Thomson & Company Limited gives us a solid financial foundation and infrastructure to access more markets around the world and continue our growth.”
For further commentary on this case, or to discuss any corporate-related issue, please contact a member of Thrings' Commercial team.