Specialist print management group Venture Business Forms Limited (Venture) has been snapped up by Hague Print Media Limited in a transaction advised on by Sheffield based dealmaking firm, Castle Square Corporate Finance, (Castle Square). Director Steve Bell advised the selling shareholders on the transaction, in which Hague Print emerged as the preferred bidder from a structured trade sale process.
Steve Bell said, “Having worked closely with Venture for a number of years it is apparent that the shareholders had developed an excellent business and as the shareholders were looking to realise their investment we were tasked to identify an acquisition partner that would continue to invest in the long-term success of Venture. Undertaking a structured sale process, it became apparent that Hague was an ideal acquisition partner, as it a family-owned company with an ethos of acquisition and investment.”
Venture operates from three locations across the Midlands and was owned by its management team, who were advised by Castle Square Director Kevan Shaw back in 2007 when they acquired the business via a Management Buy-Out.
The company provides a full serviced print offering to a client base which includes many household names, offering all types of printed matter, from a simple brochure to bespoke printed labels for use in client processes across many industries, and providing warehousing and a next day distribution service throughout the UK.
Yorkshire headquartered Hague Print is a rapidly growing company providing sophisticated print and software solutions and have completed several acquisitions in recent years. The business has a nationwide presence with ten locations in the UK and operations in Australia.
The management team at Venture are staying on to work with Hague for a varying time period. A key decision for the shareholders was to identify an acquisition partner that would invest in the group with a strong culture fit across the two groups.
Gavin Dickson, one of the former owners of Venture, said, “I am really excited to build on the success we have had at Venture and I am also really looking forward to developing this wider offering within the Group.”
Graham Wain, managing director of Hague Group said, “Our company is a strong growing business with an outstanding suite of print and software products. I look forward to tapping into the collective resources that Venture will bring to the Hague Group to provide an unparalleled range of solutions for our customers.”
