Bartell buys out North East rival

A NEWTON Heath window furnishings company has bought its North East rival, which holds exclusive contracts with the NHS, in a deal that will increase its turnover to £3m.

Bartell Contract Furnishings has acquired Cottage Contract Furnishers, of North Shields, for an undisclosed sum.

Bartell, which was set up in 1994 by directors Tim Barlow and James Mitchell, will now employ 38 staff across its two bases. 

Cottage manufactures and supplies curtains, blinds, soft furnishings, and curtain tracks to the commercial and contract market.

It is one of the UK’s main distributors of Silent Gliss products and cubicle curtain tracking systems, used by the NHS and wider healthcare market, holding the sole contract to supply these products to the NHS.

Director Tim Barlow said: “The acquisition is part of our strategy to grow the business and we are very pleased to have concluded the deal.

“Having a presence in the North East gives us an opportunity to increase our client base in that area and we are confident this will generate more work and further job opportunities. There are certain synergies between both companies and we plan to use these benefits to improve performance.”

Andy Thomas, business development director at NatWest, which funded the deal, said: “Both Bartell and Cottage are well run businesses that benefit from a skilled workforce and diverse client base. Bringing the two businesses together should benefit the enlarged organisation.”

Elaine Charrôt from Hill Dickinson advised RBS and Cowgill Holloway provided due diligence. The legal element of the process was handled by Andrew Sturge of Turner Parkinson and the corporate finance advice by Greg Pendlington of HW Corporate Finance.