The Royal Berkshire Shooting School Group / Private investors

Cavendish Corporate Finance is pleased to have advised on the sale of the Royal Berkshire Shooting School Group (”RBSS”) including the Really Wild Clothing Company, to Alex Newman, a Chilean based Briton and a former senior executive at Antofagasta.

The shooting school was established in 1991 and since that time has been run by co-founder Dylan Williams supported by London based property entrepreneur and avid country sportsman Bryan Richmond-Dodd, who also retains a significant shareholding in the elite fishing brands of Farlows and Sportsfish. It is now recognised as the finest facility of its kind in the UK, and is unique in employing it own 8 full time professional instructors, with a combined experience of 125 years in the industry. The grounds boast over 150 traps replicating high pheasants, driven grouse and coveys of partridges. Over the past few years the school has hosted a number of high profile corporate days and has also help raise over £13 million for charity through fund raising events for such organisations such as Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The Really Wild Clothing Company was created by Natalie Lake in 2002 to appeal to women who enjoy country pursuits and want to be stylish yet practical. ‘County Clothing with City Style’ encapsules the ethos of the brand.

Jonathan Buxton, the Cavendish partner managed the sale exercise and led negotiations. The Group attracted interest from UK field sports enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who were familiar with the excellent reputation of the School, but notably significant overseas buyer interest was shown from parties who recognised the capacity to extend the brand to other areas of country pursuits and to overseas markets. Alex Newman was approached by Cavendish’s M&A International Alliance office in Chile, IB Partners SA, who immediately saw the attraction of the business and the skills of the team. Alex Newman now plans to increase the investment in RBSS and to seek complimentary acquisitions.

Dylan Williams and Natalie Lake will both be staying with the new owner. Dylan commented ”The team at Cavendish demonstrated their international reach and their tenacity to stick with the deal until it closed. They found the ideal owner in Alex. We are very excited at the new opportunities that we can now develop”.

Jonathan Buxton commented ”We are delighted to help secure a strong future for RBSS and to have found a buyer that is looking to harness the talents of the existing leadership team and who wants to build on both the reputation of the school and the unique focus of the clothing brand. The sale marks the fourth luxury goods mandate closed by Cavendish in 2010, following the sales of Smythson and Liberty, and the recent fundraising for Theo Fennell plc.

“TC Group have a fantastic business model and brilliant management team, which combined with Inflexion’s sector and M&A experience, puts us in a great position to help accelerate its already impressive growth. We look forward to working with the team to seize the market opportunity together.”

Malcolm Coffin, Partner and Head of Enterprise Fund at Inflexion

“We are delighted to have found a perfect match to drive the growth of the Company we founded in 2005. After a rigorous sale process, we have no doubt that Davidson Kempner/Pithos Capital will continue to develop the Company as the UK’s largest independent self-storage provider and we look forward to following its progress.”

The finnCap Cavendish team, led by Nehal Patel, did a fantastic job, running a truly competitive process and managing the transaction with great skill. They were instrumental in delivering this deal and the successful outcome.”

Keith Taylor and Cathy Taylor, Co-Founders, UK Storage Company Ltd

“The finnCap Cavendish team did a great job of running a competitive process to establish the best transaction options available for our stakeholders. They were instrumental in delivering the Talan deal and were a pleasure to work with.”

Alex Goody, CEO, Gemserv

“The finnCap Cavendish team has achieved a truly outstanding result for our Shareholders. Their knowledge of our business, the sector and the buyer landscape, as well as their commitment throughout to the process, was critical to our success.”

Steve Beckitt, Founder-CEO, SourceBreaker

“I could not be prouder to be joining the Otonomo team. This is a big, bold step that brings us closer to our vision of safer and smarter mobility for all. Our clients and partners, some of the leading insurers of the world, will have access to a significant and unique set of data products, tools and resources to help them compete and thrive in a connected new world ahead.

We really appreciated Cavendish’s excellent advice, their understanding of the business and getting the best outcome for the company by driving the process.”

Aldo Monteforte, CEO of The Floow

Over the last 16 years, we’ve grown to become the biggest search firm in the world dedicated to executive search in sports and entertainment, working in partnership with brands and wonderful clients across more than 20 countries and in every major sports league. Today, we join with Excel, enhancing our ability to see our clients achieve their fullest potential both on and off the field.

The finnCap Cavendish team played a critical role in helping us to secure the right partner and home for our business. The team’s recruitment sector expertise and commitment throughout the deal was second to none, I would have no hesitation in recommending them to other business owners considering M&A.”

Paul Nolan, Founder-CEO, Nolan Partners

“I have loved working with Andrew, Ben and Hugh at Cavendish! Hamilton Fraser is more than just a company to me. For me to sell, any deal had to deliver value but also see the business find a great new home. Cavendish always listened and provided their advice on these points and how best to achieve what I was looking for. I am delighted to have found the perfect partner in GRP with their support.”

Eddie Hooker, CEO, Hamilton Fraser

“We are delighted with the support received from the finnCap Cavendish team throughout this process. Mike and the team ensured that we prepared meticulously, identified the right pool of potential investors and worked closely with us, the management team and our legal advisers to deliver a great outcome for the Shareholders. We wish the Intelling team and RDCP all the best in their next phase of growth.”

Karl Cockwill, Portfolio Director, NVM

“This transaction is a hugely important step in the company’s development, strongly positioning the business for its next phase of growth, allowing us to meet the growing need for secondary school students to learn in an independent, fluid and remote manner.”

Anthony Coxon, Co-Founder, GCSEPod

“Cortland shares our core values and our customers focus, and their additional resources will help us accelerate our growth in the UK market.”

Nigel Burnand, Managing Director, Qdime