Pharmaceuticals and automotive driving deals activity

A summer of unique fundraising in Birmingham has been accompanied by some major deals activity with the pharmaceuticals and automotive industries taking the lead.

Few can have failed to miss the appearance of 100 large bear statues dotted around the region this summer.

The Big Sleuth Bear campaign which aims to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, started in July. Over 200 designs were submitted by national, regional and local artists and were brought to life with the support of corporate sponsors. The bears have provided an innovative trail around the city and has been enjoyed by thousands of tourists and locals with over 550,000 users having scanned the bears’ QR codes on the app.

The campaign has received fantastic support from hundreds of Midlands businesses and has raised over £250,000 for the hospital with the auctioning of the bears. This is a fantastic example of the community pulling together for a great cause. It’s been a big hit with young children with the opportunity to visit the store, buy merchandise and even get a selfie.

Gareth Iley, partner at Clearwater International

In addition to the pharmaceuticals and automotive industries, Clearwater International partner Gareth Iley said the region continued to see significant levels of activity, across the country in the childcare space.

Kidderminster-based Mishi Nurseries, run by husband and wife team Raj and Jyoti Jaspal, used funding from Barclays to acquire a former Co-op nursery. Mishi Nurseries now has four in its portfolio and has further plans to expand its presence within the region. The sector has been buoyed by the announcement of government funding for 30 hours of free childcare.

From care for young children to toys for the big kids – with UK new car sales hitting a record high in September, we’re seeing automotive accessory businesses get in on the action.

Birmingham-based number plate manufacturer Hills Numberplates made an acquisition when it bought US rival John R Wald Company. The business has been manufacturing number plates for almost 90 years and has received funding from Midlands investor Finance Birmingham, to support its ambitious growth plans.

John R Wald based in Pennsylvania, will continue to operate as a separate entity maintaining its workforce, brand, and operations. Through this acquisition and its previous purchase of French market leader Faab Fabricauto, Hills is now the third largest manufacturer of number plates in the world.

The largest recent deal we’ve seen in the Midlands region was reserved for Burton-based Clinigen Group. It acquired fellow AIM listed group Quantum Pharma for around £160m. Clinigen currently supplies more than 100 drugs in over 100 countries and focuses on supplying hospitals with medicines that are not licensed in one market but available in others.

Clinigen has key ambitions to expand into the Latin American and Russian markets, whilst also looking to gain greater control of the drugs supply chain. Quantum Pharma recorded a £10m loss last year. Clinigen saw clear synergies between its own and Quantum’s product capabilities, along with the ability to leverage Quantum’s international presence in certain territories. It is hoped that the acquisition will help Quantum to become the largest global player in the unlicensed to licensed drug market.

It is really positive to see that Midlands-based businesses confident in their strong trading performance and well considered growth plans, are still committing investment to acquisitions, despite some concerns about ongoing political uncertainty.

For a comprehensive list of West Midlands deals activity click here

Close