Clay pigeon firm triggers MBO

NVM Private Equity has sold its stake in North West clay pigeon shooting target maker Promatic.

A syndicate led by Promatic’s senior management and including CCI International, a manufacturer and distributor of clay pigion targets, has completed the sale for twice NVM’s original investment.

NVM bought Promatic in 2007 to support its management buy-out and allow the the business to leverage its brand in both existing and new markets globally.

Promatic, which employs 55 people at its Hooton, Cheshire headquarters and a further 15 at Gower in Missouri, has been designing and fabricating automatic clay machines and associated shooting equipment for the world’s most prestigious shooting clubs and grounds for 25 years. It boasted sales of £7.2m in the year to December, 2013.

For clay shooting enthusiasts, it is highly likely that the targets presented at shooting grounds or competitions are thrown from Promatic traps, making it a household name in the shooting industry.

In 2014,at least 600,000 people shot clays and live quarry, making the shooting industry currently worth £2bn to the UK economy.

East Midlands-based CCI has been manufacturing clay pigeon targets since 1982 and is the market leader for the products in the UK.

Promatic says its new partnership with CCI will form a one-stop- shop for all clay pigeon shooting products and services.

Chief executive Brian Jardine said he welcomed the CCI team, led by Johnny Goodhart, to the board.

“We look forward to expanding our market worldwide utilising the synergies of the different products of both companies,” he said. “This is a fantastic opportunity to better serve the clay shooting industry with quality clay traps, clay targets and other shooting equipment.

“Combining the experience of Promatic and CCI, we can better equip the industry with quality and innovative products that will meet the needs of customers and shooters alike.”