Door manufacturer sold in multimillion-pound deal

Coventry-based manufacturer of bi-fold doors, Slide and Fold has been sold to Orchestra Group in a multimillion-pound deal.

Slide and Fold, together with sister company Weathershield, is a long-establishedbusiness specialising in the manufacture and supply of bi-fold kisdoors and ouble-glazed windows. The family-owned business, led by husband-and-wife team Darron and Eve Cooke.

Accoutancy firm Azets advised on the deal.

Azets was appointed by Mr and Mrs Cooke after Mark Selby, national head of corporate finance at Azets, had provided initial advice on a sale strategy and timeline. Also advising from Azets was corporate finance senior manager, Simon Hopkin.

Azets identified Orchestra Group as a potential buyer in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis was taking hold in the UK. All negotiations and project management through to completion was conducted during the pandemic.

Darron and Eve Cooke, said: “As a long-held family-owned business, it was important we were able to identify the right time to sell and the right buyers. We are thankful to Mark and the team at Azets for helping us achieve this. We appointed Azets to advise on the sale of Slide and Fold following a number of discussions with Mark, during which his openness, honesty and transparency filled us with confidence. We are pleased the deal is now complete and, despite the additional complication of a global pandemic, Azets maintained a personal and professional approach throughout.”

Selby said: ‘’We are delighted to have assisted Darron and Eve with the sale of their business. Conducting this transaction under lockdown restrictions presented some highly unusual logistical challenges. However, the desire of all parties to get a deal done meant that we were able to navigate these successfully and achieve a great outcome for our client.”

Steve Rhodes, director at Orchestra Group, added: “It was a pleasure to deal with Mark and Simon throughout the acquisition process. We found them to be extremely responsive and they were helpful in finding solutions to the inevitable hiccups that occur in the deal process. They were always looking to get the right deal for their client and were dedicated to making sure the deal got completed as quickly and smoothly as possible.”

Also advising Slide and Fold was legal and professional services business Knights.