School uniform firm sold in bid to start global group

School uniform company Schoolblazer has been sold to Australia’s Hancock & Gore.

Founded in Oundle in 2004, Schoolblazer grew rapidly to become the dominant retailer to UK independent schools. The deal will support the firm’s continued growth in the UK, as well as enable it to develop a unique offering for the Australian market.

Howes Percival was instructed by the two Schoolblazer founders, Tim James and Robin Horsell, and the other shareholders, to sell the company to Hancock & Gore, owner of the Mountcastle and LW Reid brands in Australia and Argyle in New Zealand, to begin the creation of a global uniform group.

James will remain as the chairperson and a director of Schoolblazer from completion and will join the Hancock & Gore board as a director upon completion. Horsell will be stepping down from the board of directors of Schoolblazer but will remain as a consultant, supporting the launch of the Schoolblazer business in Australia.

Howes Percival’s corporate partner James Stephen led the team on the transaction, supported by Ollie Flowers (director) and Josie Rogers (associate), with input from a wide range of teams including commercial, banking, commercial property, IP, employment, regulatory and tax.

Stephen said: “We really enjoyed supporting the sellers during this transaction, which was delivered to a challenging timeline. They have built a fantastic company, and we look forward to seeing the Schoolblazer brand go from strength to strength as part of the wider Hancock & Gore group.

“This is another significant deal for the firm and further indication of the calibre of transaction we are routinely seeing at Howes Percival.

“The strength and breadth of the teams we are able to put together to support high profile deals like this means we continue to see a strong pipeline of high-quality instructions.”

James added: “We couldn’t be happier with the support of our team at Howes Percival. James, Ollie and Josie were amazing with the perfect combination of wit, patience and diligence. Throughout the process they balanced attention to detail, an extraordinary work ethic and focus with a real lightness of touch and sense of humour. They were consistently patient with our queries and made the process as straightforward and painless as possible.

“It’s probably a once in a lifetime experience, but if we did it again, we’d certainly choose the same team, no hesitation.”