One of the UK’s leading school uniform suppliers has hit the acquisition trail for the third time in less than three years with help from the Bristol office of international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD).
A team led by Bristol-based WBD corporate partner Tom Fitzpatrick advised Trowbridge-based Banner on its deal to buy rival F.R. Monkhouse. 
Funded by growth capital investors MML Capital Partners – which backed a management buy-out at Banner in 2015 – the acquisition represents a key step in the firm’s strategy to be the market leader in supplying uniforms and sportswear to the schoolwear industry.
Stockport-based F.R. Monkhouse is one of the largest independent retailers of its kind in the UK with nine retail stores and nine on-site school shops in large independent schools. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Banner, which has also operated under the Blue Max Banner and BMB brands, acquired school and sportswear specialists SWI and Orion in separate deals in 2016.
Banner chief executive Glenn Leech, who joined the business last September to drive further growth, said: “This acquisition provides many exciting opportunities for the combined business and will give us valuable insights into how we can further improve our offer.
“It was important to complete the deal as swiftly as possible to enable both ourselves and Monkhouse to focus on delivering high standards of service to all customers during the busy back-to-school period and WBD helped us achieve that.”
Tom Fitzpatrick said: “This is the first acquisition we have worked on for Banner and it is great to be involved with their dynamic growth strategy.”
WBD’s large corporate practice advises national and international clients on a broad range of corporate transactions, particularly mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, growth and development capital, and public company fundraisings.
The firm’s Bristol office is the second largest of its eight UK bases and employs around 250 staff. WBD also has 19 offices in the US.
Formed through last year’s merger of UK firm Bond Dickinson and US-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, it is region’s largest transatlantic firm.
