Law firm Bond Dickinson’s Bristol-based corporate finance team has advised Countrywide Farmers on the sale of businesses worth £18.4m to a number of buyers.
The disposals will allow Countrywide, the UK’s leading supplier of products, services and advice to the rural community, to focus on its retail network of 53 stores across England and Wales, its LPG energy and turf and amenity businesses. 
Bond Dickinson helped to facilitate the deal, which involved selling Countrywide’s livestock feed and forage business, comprising compound and alternative feeds, fertilizer and forage seeds, to Dutch company ForFarmers, which is more than 70% farmer-owned.
The arable business, comprising crop protection and cereal seed products, is being sold to Cambridgeshire-based crop production specialist Hutchinsons. Terms have been agreed for the sale of the crop marketing business to Openfield.
Countrywide CEO John Hardman said: “The disposal of [these] businesses marks an exciting stage in development.
“We have been advised and supported by the corporate team at Bond Dickinson for a number of years and look forward to continuing our relationship with them on future projects.”
Bond Dickinson corporate managing associate Joe Lewis, pictured, added: “We are extremely pleased to have assisted Countrywide Farmers in their latest business developments. The disposals will allow Countrywide to further support the rural community and agricultural industry and we very much look forward to working with them again in future.”
Evesham-based Countrywide Farmers’, which has 4,000 mainly farmer shareholders, was established in 1902.
