KBS Corporate Advise on Sale of South Coast Catering Limited

One of the UK’s leading commercial kitchen design & installation companies, Airedale Catering Group, has acquired South Coast Catering in a deal which was successfully concluded by KBS Corporate.

South Coast Catering first commenced trading in this sector in 1991 and although its core business is providing reactive and planned maintenance services to many national and regional clients, more recently South Coast has diversified into laundry, light equipment and scheme work.

Airedale catering Group is one of the leading design and build brands in the food service and hospitality industry. Established in 1985, the Group now operates from 6 regional offices throughout the UK and employs around 200 people. The company has won numerous industry awards for its innovative design concepts with clients including operators, local and national public bodies, main contractors and FTSE 100 Companies across all sectors.

Rob Bywell, CEO of Airedale commented “It is fantastic news for our business that Alex and his team have agreed to join the Airedale family. We are excited to be working with like-minded people who have built a successful business by focusing on providing its customers with a great experience.”

Chairman Andrew Bristow added “Airedale is growing as a result of its long term investment strategy in the catering sector. This year will be another strong performance for the business, with the number of design and build schemes having almost doubled over the last two years. This is an exciting period for everyone in our business, as we actively look for opportunities to expand our capabilities and provide our clients with an industry leading service. To achieve this we need to attract the best people and partners. Our strategy is not just about buying businesses, it’s about finding the pioneers that can help us reach our long term goals.

Airedale have been working with leading national and regional food service businesses of all sizes and a broad range of sectors, designing a building commercial kitchens to the highest possible standards with contracts ranging in value from £5,000 to in excess of £1,000,000. The company operates from 4 different regional office locations which makes the Airedale Group one of the few truly nationwide design and build companies in the UK.

The acquisition will position Airedale as one of the largest independent service operators within the UK catering industry, combining Airedale’s technical services division with South Coast Catering’s established maintenance business. The enlarged group will employ a network of over 70 specialist catering engineers, positioning the group as one of the largest independent service operators in the UK catering industry.

Founder and Managing Director of South Coast, Alex Hooper Greenhill, is committing his future to the company and will remain in his full time role as Director. “We are delighted to be joining Airedale. We chose them because they have demonstrated a long term commitment to this marketplace and they understand the value of our brand. This is the next step forward for South Coast, our employees, clients and partners. With the support and backing of the Airedale Group we can provide our clients with an even better service.”