Record month at Benchmark International as ten deals complete

November saw Benchmark International’s UK Corporate Finance Team; based at the company’s Greater Manchester head office, complete a record ten (10) deals.

Completed company sales spanned several industry sectors – including cloud-hosting, consultancy and training, manufacturing, data marketing, lifting equipment, niche travel, SMS marketing and healthcare – with buyers from the UK, France (two), Scandinavia and the US.

Two deals stand out as true Mid-Market successes.

The completion of the sale of cloud-hosting specialist Netplan Internet Solutions to AIM listed UK trade acquirer Daily Internet was funded with a placing to investors on the London Stock Exchange’s growth market, the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). With the UK cloud-hosting industry being particularly buoyant at present, Netplan generated a huge amount of interest both UK and international trade buyers.

Commenting on the role Benchmark International played, Stuart Gibson (Netplan’s main shareholder) said, “Benchmark delivered everything they promised. From gaining a thorough understanding of the business, they presented it to a host of strategic buyers, generating a lot of interest and allowing us to choose the most suitable buyer for ourselves, the company and its fantastic workforce”.

The acquisition of Verplas, extrusion and injection moulding specialist based in Dorset, by the Swedish-based conglomerate Indutrade demonstrated the true extent of Benchmark International’s overseas buyer network.

Verplas’ principal shareholder, Ian Sellwood, commented, “With Indutrade as a new owner we receive long-term stability and the right support for further growth”.

Benchmark International’s UK Managing Director, James Thornton, is naturally delighted at his team’s success, “Our investment in great people and resources is certainly showing dividends, as the positive feedback we are receiving from our satisfied clients clearly shows. With more UK completions penciled in for December and the New Year and our US business going from strength to strength, we are extremely excited about the prospects for 2014 and beyond.”