THE corporate team at Newcastle law firm Dickinson Dees has advised one of the UK’s biggest farming feed suppliers on a £4m acquisition.
Worksop-based Anpario, which supplies to the global agriculture and aquaculture markets, has bought Bedfordshire-based Meriden Animal Health. The firm said the deal brings another strong trading brand and broadens its product technology and increases global market share in the feed additive sector.
Meriden supplies the global farming and aquaculture markets with natural animal feed additive products. Meriden’s Orego-Stim range of products, using essential oils, is the leading brand in its field and is marketed across 60 countries worldwide.
The Dickinson Dees team was led by Newcastle-based partner Jamie Pass and Matthew Smith, an associate in the firm’s Yorkshire office.
Pass said: “We are delighted to assist Anpario with all the legal work needed for this significant deal. The acquisition of Meriden is another important chapter in Anpario’s success story and it was a privilege to be involved.”
Richard Edwards, executive vice chairman of Anpario, said: “The corporate team of Dickinson Dees delivered first-class legal advice for us, enabling us to complete the acquisition of Meriden with maximum efficiency and minimum fuss. We would like to thank the team for their excellent efforts.”
Meriden has 10 full-time staff including a technical support team based in a representative office in Malaysia. The firm typically supplies through distributors in the local territories except Australia where the company has a joint venture company.
Meriden has a close and important partnership with its China operation with sales accounting for 26% of Meriden’s total sales during 2011. The China business has been growing well and Anpario intends to give further support to this relationship to capitalise on the vast potential of China’s agriculture market. Although under new ownership, Meriden will be run as a separate business enabling the team to focus on selling and marketing high quality feed additive products around the world.
Anpario says Meriden’s management will gain additional support and can benefit from working together with Anpario’s research and development resource to develop innovative products for sale under the Meriden brand. Edwards added: “Meriden Animal Health is a quality business with strong brand recognition for developing 100% natural feed additives.
“This acquisition increases our global market share in animal feed additives which is benefiting as the agriculture industry looks to use natural-based solutions to promote the health and growth of animals for meat consumption.
“Meriden’s significant presence in China increases our involvement in the world’s biggest producer of poultry and pig meat and reinforces our strategy to build more significant positions in emerging agriculture and aquaculture markets,” he added.
