McDowall Holdings Limited
Based in the West Midlands, McDowall Holdings is a well-respected business, specialising in the design of energy efficient air conditioning and ventilation systems. Founded as a family business in 1972, the company has a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing cost-effective solutions for their clients.
Having spent many years’ growing the company, the shareholders instructed KBS Corporate with the sale of McDowall as they had decided to explore their options with regards to retirement. The company has performed well in recent years and was well positioned to achieve maximum value. The shareholders were keen to ensure the right buy was found to continue the success and growth, whilst supporting the loyal and hardworking employees of the company.
Following discussions with the shareholders, KBS Corporate implemented a research strategy with trade buyers and Private Equity houses. The successful buyer, Johnson Controls International PLC, a fire, HVAC and safety equipment provider, saw potential in McDowall and look forward to continuing to develop the company.
Tom Eatough, Associate Corporate Director at KBS Corporate, handled all negotiations on behalf of McDowall, and stated “McDowall have a fantastic reputation in the sector and whilst having a national client base, they also have a strong regional foothold in the Midlands. KBS went above and beyond to ensure several parts of the process were accelerated to ensure the transaction was completed tax efficiently. There were other technical challenges which needed specialist advice and KBS coordinated and worked closely with specialist teams to navigate through these challenges. We also had to carefully manage the advanced stages of the process in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully managed to close the transaction through some very uncertain circumstances”.
This deal represents the second transaction that KBS Corporate have facilitated to Johnson Controls, following their acquisition of East Lancashire Refrigeration in 2019.
