15 November, 2024
Translink Corporate Finance advised the shareholders of Clear Line, a specialised full-service facade remediation and cladding contractor, on its £120m acquisition by listed Swedish company Fasadgruppen Group AB as it looks to establish itself within the UK market.
Sheffield-based Clear Line was founded in 1997 and has become one of the leading providers of building envelope solutions in the UK, with revenues approaching £50m and an average EBITDA of £18.4m over the last three years.
Having a unified Translink team from the UK and Sweden offices was essential in navigating the nuances of a highly complex cross-border transaction. With its new ownership Clear Line will have a platform to support its growth ambitions and aligns with Fasadgruppen’s strategy of acquiring leading entrepreneurial and specialised businesses that can strengthen the group’s position internationally.
Peter Hebb, Managing Director of Clear Line, said, “In seeking new ownership, we sought to find a committed owner who understands and has the same passion for the building envelope industry as we do, we also sought scale that matches our ambitions. In both regards, Fasadgruppen provides a perfect fit for Clear Line. With their support we can expand our offer to larger portfolios, where turnover limits might otherwise preclude such expansion, enabling us to access more projects with existing and new clients in the UK.”
Martin Jacobsson, CEO of Fasadgruppen, added, “In Clear Line, we have found a unique player with a proven business model that has built an excellent market position in its clear niche and thereby achieved an attractive financial profile. The group provides Fasadgruppen with a platform for further growth in the UK.”
A Translink team consisting of Kevin Davies, Tim Brind, Joe Briggs and Emma Oakley in the UK, and Fredrik Ullberg in Sweden led the sale on behalf of the shareholders. Kevin Davies, Partner at Translink in the UK commented, “Clear Line is a fantastic example of what UK industry has to offer, specialised skills delivered by an outstanding workforce in a niche sector. This deal provides an exciting opportunity for the Clear Line team to advance the growth f the business. It also highlights Translink’s global capability to collaborate across borders and deliver outstanding results for our clients.”
Fredrik Ullberg, Partner at Translink in Sweden, said, “This transaction shows our strength in working as a single cross-border team, identifying deal opportunities in an early stage, and provide smooth and successful transactions. We look forward to seeing Clear Line flourish under its new ownership.”
Contact our Team Members advising in this transaction:
Translink Corporate Finance is a world leader in cross-border mid-market M&A advisory services, specialising in transactions ranging from €10M to €250M. Established in 1972, with over five decades of experience, we get the deal done. We are a trusted global group with over 400 experts worldwide, and a proven track record with long-standing clients and deep sector specific knowledge. At Translink Corporate Finance, we are easy to approach, and our core ethos revolves around the pursuit of sustainable value creation for our clients – whose best interests always come first.
Translink Corporate Finance in the UK has seven offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, London, Nottingham and Sheffield. The highly experienced team comprises of 30 M&A professionals, including ten partners has a successful track-record of completing domestic and international M&A transactions across a variety of sectors.
Translink Corporate Finance in Sweden is a M&A advisor working with national and cross-border transactions. The company’s success in this segment is based on a wide industrial network and the fact that many of the team members have backgrounds as executives in Swedish industrials.
TRANSLINK INTERNATIONAL AG
