127-year-old graphic display specialist attracts French buyout
Huddersfield-based Leach, the 127-year old family-run graphic display specialist which has turnover of £11m and clients including Gap, Regatta and Barburrito, has been acquired by a French-owned global manufacturing and services group.
Chargeurs, a global manufacturing and services group based in 34 countries on five continents, has bought the Leach Impact and Leach Inspire divisions of the company for an undisclosed sum.
Leach Studio will continue to be privately owned by directors Richard Leach and Jim Parkin.
Managing director Richard Leach said: “Having experienced ten years of consecutive growth, we have been planning how to pursue the next chapter of our journey for some time.
“A key part of our long-term strategy has been to attract investment that will allow us to generate more international sales and to keep our growth record going. But finding the best-fit business to acquire us, was crucial.
“Leach started out life in 1891, when my great-grandfather opened a one-man photographic studio, in Brighouse. This family legacy is something the family shareholders were incredibly keen to preserve and build upon, and is one of the main reasons why Chargeurs – with a 146-year-old story of its own – was such a great fit.”
He added: “It is also the reason why we have decided to retain ownership and management of Leach Studio – our interpretive design brand for museum, gallery, heritage and visitor environments. This brand is perfectly suited to continue operating under a ‘family business’ model – it isn’t ready for internationalisation.
“But the same cannot be said for our large format display production divisions, Leach Impact and Leach Inspire. We’re ready to access different overseas markets with the products and services that these brands have to offer, and Chargeurs’ financial backing – as well as a global presence, multi-lingual expertise and decades of knowledge – will help us do that.”
Leach, which operates from a 30,000 sq ft HQ, employs 100 staff.
With a global customer portfolio spreading over 80 countries – including the world’s leading luxury fashion houses – Chargeurs is a €533m business of which more than 90% was generated outside France with plans to double its turnover to €1bn in the next five years.
