Sell My E-commerce Business

First Rescue Training and Supplies Ltd

First Rescue Training & Supplies (“First Rescue”), a UK leading online retailer of defibrillators, has been sold to Safe Life in a deal overseen by Jay Singh, KBS Corporate Finance Director.

Founded in 2003, First Rescue offers a sizeable selection of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) from all major manufacturers, along with a variety of associated products, CPR training equipment and training courses.

Based near Selby, North Yorkshire, First Rescue owns the e-commerce site defibwarehouse.co.uk, one of the largest sites in the UK selling AEDs.

Safe Life is a Stockholm-based provider of life-saving solutions with portfolio companies across Europe and North America.

With 24 acquisitions since 2019, the company continues to cement its position as the market-leading provider of AEDs in North America and Europe.

The new add-on in the UK with First Rescue strengthens Safe Life’s e-commerce presence in the market and the combination will create the largest AED provider in the UK.

“We are excited to be part of the global leader in AEDs. First Rescue has a bright future with Safe Life and we look forward to helping save even more lives in the UK,” said Craig Ward, Founder and CEO at First Rescue.

Jimmy Eriksson, CEO of Safe Life, added: “We are thrilled to welcome First Rescue to Safe Life. The acquisition not only enhances our footprint in the UK market but also broadens our range of offerings, enabling us to provide comprehensive solutions to our valued customers.”

Jay Singh believes Safe Life is a “natural home” for First Rescue and that the business will go from strength to strength under its new ownership.

“The shareholders have built an excellent business and reputation in the marketplace,” said Jay. “Becoming part of the Safe Life Group allows the business to consolidate its position in the UK market with a global leader in the AED industry.

“We received significant interest in the company, but Safe Life was a natural home for the business. It was a pleasure to work with the shareholders and we are confident the business will continue to be a great success.”

TLT provided legal services to First Rescue, its core team comprising Ian Roberts (Partner), Seraphina Wilkins-Tolliday (Senior Associate), James Pike (Associate), Mudassar Iqbal (Paralegal) (all Corporate), and William Ngan (Legal Director) (Tax).

Alliance UK Ltd

Alliance UK, a London-based online provider of cleaning, janitorial, catering and hygiene products, has been sold to BCS in a deal coordinated by Matthew Sibley, KBS Corporate Associate Director.

With the owner of Alliance, Pedro Fernandes, planning to retire, the opportunity attracted strong interest, almost all of which was from trade acquirers although some were synergistic buyers involved in safety products, facility management and general hygiene.

Brighton-based BCS was founded as a catering supplier in 2011, servicing hospitality businesses in Sussex before rapidly expanding to schools, hospitals and other institutions and geographically to London.

Seeking to cement its foothold in England’s capital, BCS acted quickly to finalise the transaction and is eager to grow Alliance UK.

“Alliance has a solid customer base and needed some modernising and streamlining, and we are more technologically advanced,” explained Ben Ferrer, CEO of BCS.

“That means we can make efficiencies to give our customers better service and pricing, as well as solidifying our position as a major London supplier.

“We are looking to grow the existing customer base between BCS and Alliance in London, using Alliance’s expertise on cleaning materials and combining that with BCS’ expertise of catering supplies.”

Alliance will continue to operate under its existing management team, along with support from Ben Ferrer and BCS Group’s Operations Director, Tom Austen, who will oversee day-to-day operations at both BCS and Alliance.

Asked how satisfied he had been with KBS’ involvement in the deal, Ben said “very much – we got the deal done”, while Matthew Sibley said he too was “very satisfied with the sale” to a “keen buyer who is eager to grow Alliance UK”.

Effipap Ltd

Effipap Ltd has been sold to solid fuel and gas products supplier Fuel Express in a deal overseen by Daniel DiMarco, KBS Corporate Deal Executive.

Established in 2016, Effipap initially traded as a distribution business, delivering leaflets and telephone directories throughout the UK.

In 2020, the owners sought to expand the Wiltshire-based company by directly marketing, retailing and distributing solid fuel materials under a variety of brand names, with a focus on wood pellets and kiln-dried firewood.

Fuel Express, based in Wakefield, sells its own branded products including lumpwood charcoal, heat logs, barbecue briquettes, salt for paths and driveways and screenwash, as well as Calor gas canisters.

Kirsty Poynton, KBS Senior Document Writer, underscored the most appealing aspects of Effipap when preparing the marketing portfolio for the opportunity.

“Effipap’s brands and established, nationwide customer network provided a strong focal point for the documentation,” said Kirsty.

“With the company having diversified into the marketing, retailing and distribution of solid fuel materials in 2020, I was able to build upon its considerable progression by highlighting a wealth of development opportunities which utilised the vast asset register and industry connections already in place.”

A synergistic buyer appeared a natural fit for Effipap and that is exactly what came to pass, with Fuel Express offering a complementary service.

“The buyer has purchased the company for his son-in-law, who was already in the process of running a small fuel business,” explained Daniel DiMarco.

“This acquisition will enable them to grow their client base and progress their business forwards through acquisition, rather than having to invest into their existing company and grow organically over the next few years.”

Shazaman Ali, KBS Corporate Senior Research Analyst who managed the sale’s outreach process, added: “KBS has a proven track record of successful deals with similar operating businesses, and this transaction stands out as one of the quickest handovers to date.

“Effipap instantly piqued the interest of private equity firms and trade buyers when it entered the market.

“Given recent government changes in the UK and Europe, the demand for Effipap products is poised to grow, making it a sustainable, long-term business with a solid foundation.”