Middle Eastern manufacturing giant makes ‘bullseye’ Midlands acquisition

A leading Middle Eastern manufacturing groups in the Middle East has completed its single largest investment in the UK with its acquisition of a historic producer of paint and powder coatings in the Midlands.

The family-run Sheibani Group, which employs more than 2,000 people globally, has added the century-old Thomas Howse to its growing portfolio of UK businesses.

Based in the Black Country at Rowley Regis, near Birmingham, Thomas Howse was established in 1903 and manufactures a range of decorative, industrial and specialist coatings.

The deal sees Thomas Howse joining another UK-based coatings company in the Sheibani Group, T&R Williamson.

The latter, founded in Ripon, North Yorkshire in 1775, is believed to be the oldest family-operated paint manufacturer still in existence worldwide, with its colour archive dating back to the first road vehicle in the UK.

Both firms will operate retaining their own identity and historical links as part of the group’s investment arm, UK Coatings Group.

“We are proud to welcome a manufacturer of the calibre of Thomas Howse, and all its skilled team, to our family of 20 successful Sheibani Group companies in the UK and overseas,” said Group vice chairman and managing director, Abubaker Sheibani.

“This is a bullseye acquisition for us. It’s the perfect fit as we accelerate our growth plans for UK Coatings to become the biggest and most innovative privately-owned supplier in the UK coatings industry.

“As a multinational group of companies with impeccable credentials across the world, we hope it signals a huge vote of confidence in the sector and the wider UK.”