James Hickman
Online Home Retail Limited, an online bathroom products retailer based in Evesham, Worcs, has just completed a successful MBO. A team led by an original founder of the business James Hickman, bought back the company from Grafton Group PLC a listed builders’ merchant.
Online Home Retail Limited, trading as www.plumbworld.co.uk , offers quality bathroom products at affordable prices to the trade and public. Since its founding in 1999, the business has served over 1.5m customers, generating over £26m in annual revenue according to its latest published financial statements.
James Hickman, Managing Director, feels this is the right time for the MBO and being independent will allow the business to take advantage of new opportunities in the online bathroom marketplace:
“The E-commerce consumer market is very fast moving and intensely competitive. It requires quick decision making, calculated risk taking and a ruthless focus on eliminating avoidable costs. We believe being independent will offer us greater agility and enable us to focus 100% of our efforts on delivering growth and improving profitability”
Jeremy Cole and David Middleton of Cole Associates Corporate Finance acted as lead advisers to the MBO team on the acquisition and finance-raising. Panoramic’s investment was led by Partner David Wilson, supported by Investment Director David Atkinson. Panoramic received legal advice from Keith Dinsmore and his team at lawyers Vialex. James Cowper, Chartered Accountants provided Financial Due Diligence.
The management team received legal advice from Richard Norton of Charles Russell Speechlys.
The Arbuthnot Latham team, led by Andrew Rutherford received legal advice from Jon Bew at Irwin Mitchell.
Grafton Group were advised by Squire Patton Boggs and transaction details are not disclosed.
