Vision wraps-up Irish towel deal
TEXTILES and linen supplier Vision Support Services has bought an Irish towel business which supplies some of the world’s most famous hotels including Raffles in Singapore, The Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Scotland’s Gleneagles and The Berkeley in London.
The deal for Dundalk-based Aquarelle Towels, which trades as Lissadell Ireland, has been completed via Lancashire-based Vision’s Irish affiliate Liddell.
Lissadell, which also supplies bathrobes and bed and spa lines joins the Vision family which includes Rochdale-based public sector supplier Whitaker Services, retail bedding specialist Cohen & Chapman, office furniture company DeskCentre and Blackburn-based Hilden.
Financial terms were not disclosed, all staff will transfer to the enlarged business which will be called HLL Linens Europe and have annual turnover of more than
€20m. Funding has been provided by Ulster Bank.
Lissadell’s operating centre in Dundalk will become the headquarters with satellite offices in Belfast and Blackburn.
Lissadell has sourcing and distribution operations in Turkey, UAE and the Lebanon and will now benefit from VSS’s capabilities in Hong Kong, China, Pakistan, India and Egypt.
VSS Group managing director Laurie Thomas said: “Lissadell was a natural choice to add to the growing VSS group of companies. The shared base with Liddell, Hilden and Whitaker Services is an obvious opportunity to provide our combined customer base with a much broader product offering through HLL Linens Europe and greater efficiencies through cross selling of other VSS group product ranges.
“We look forward to growing the combined Lissadell and Liddell business with the backing of VSS”.
Advisers included Neil Mitchell from Rickitt Mitchell and Co, Ernst & Young, law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing in Manchester and
LK Shields.
