Charles Davey
Top 30 firm, Bishop Fleming has advised the shareholders of Compco Fire Systems Limited on their sale to Writech Fire Group.
Bishop Fleming has advised on the sale of Worcester-based fire safety system specialist, Compco, to Writech Fire Group (Writech) based in Mullingar, Ireland.
Founded in 1988 and employing over 200 people, Compco is the UK’s leading privately-owned fire-protection engineering company offering a wide range of services, growing from its Worcester Head Office to six offices across the UK over the past 34 years.
The deal will add £40 million to Writech’s revenue, cementing its position as one of Europe’s largest fire-protection engineering companies, building on its current UK offering. Writech provides fire protection system design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, and services to clients which include some of the largest blue-chip companies in the world.
The Compco shareholders brought in the West Midlands Corporate Finance team of Bishop Fleming, led by Charles Davey and Phil Redgate, to manage the entire sale process. Gareth Burge and Joe Rollins from Thursfields provided legal advice to the shareholders of Compco.
Phil Redgate
Writech’s CEO, Ted Wright, said: “Compco is a great business supported by a team of excellent people. Its purchase represents the continued realisation of our strategy to grow our UK business and strengthen our position as a leader in fire protection systems. We are very excited about the future prospects for the business and look forward to working with the team to build on their success to date.”
Charles Davey, Corporate Finance Partner at Bishop Fleming, said: “After running a full sale process which saw considerable interest, Writech was chosen as the obvious suitor for Compco as it will build on the legacy of Compco’s founders and maintain the client service focus that Compco is well known for. This is another great example of a cross border transaction completed by the West Midlands team and builds on the success of the team over the past two years.”
Phil Lawley, Commercial Director of Compco, said: “The Board at Compco Fire Systems Ltd employed the services of Bishop Fleming to find a buyer for the business. The team led by Charles Davey and Phil Redgate performed admirably in managing the process from inception to conclusion, and they have found a great new owner for the business”.
