Yorkshire lawyers advise on Beads Direct deal

CORPORATE finance lawyers from Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office have acted on the acquisition of the UK’s biggest online jewellery bead retailer.

Beads Direct has been purchased by Rockmount Commercial Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

The company, based in Loughbrough, Leicestershire, stocks more than 4,000 products for jewellery makers across the world. Popular items include a large range of semi-precious beads made from jade, onyx and quartz.

Rockmount Commercial Holdings was advised by Simon Cuerden, a corporate partner at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office, with assistance from solicitor Rick Dhillon.

Mr Cuerden said: “These remain tough economic times but we are able to attract acquisitions of this kind by offering prospective purchasers high levels of service and straightforward, pragmatic advice.

“Beads Direct has been a very successful business for a number of years and the new managing director of Beads Direct, John Leach, is confident it will continue to go from strength to strength.

“We’re very pleased to have played a part in what proved to be a smooth acquisition process.”

Roger Dyson of HLW Commercial Lawyers represented Bead Direct previous owners, Andrew and Karen Watson, who were provided corporate finance advice by Jo Haigh of chartered accountants MGR.

Meanwhile, Irwin Mitchell has promoted four solicitors to partnership status.

Included in the quartet is Ruth Wright, who has taken a step up in the court of protection department at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield.