Express & Star

Corporate team advises on sale of Amvar Group

The corporate team at Thursfields Solicitors has advised on the sale of Amvar Group to Dunstall Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

Published
Reece De-Vaney Malcolm Mitchell Tim Edwards

Amvar Group, based in Cradley Heath, includes Amvar Handling Solutions and Amvar Storage & Workplace Solutions. It was founded by managing director Malcolm Mitchell in 1998.

The group provides comprehensive materials handling, storing and workplace solutions and is an authorised dealer for the TCM range of forklift trucks in the West Midlands area, and also supplies the Flexi articulating truck and Combilift multi-directional forklift truck.

Thursfields’ team was led by Tim Edwards, a director in the corporate team, and Stewart Coles, a senior associate in the commercial property team.

Staffordshire-based Dunstall Holdings, which has a turnover in excess of £100 million, has been expanding rapidly in the worklift and materials handling sector.

Amvar MD Malcolm Mitchell said: “The purchase of the Amvar Group by Dunstall Holdings Ltd comes after 10 years of impressive growth and complements Dunstall’s rapid expansion of their coverage within the UK, strengthening their position in the forklift and materials handling sector.

“The deal will provide additional investment in key areas of Amvar to improve the product and service offerings and build its position in the market.

“Tim Edwards and his team at Thursfields handled the sale in a very professional, efficient and friendly manner all the way through the process.

Mr Edwards said: “We are delighted to have assisted Malcolm on the sale of his business which he has developed over the past 20 years into one of the region’s largest providers of forklift trucks and machinery.”

Wilkes Tranter & Co Accountants and Thursfields Solicitors advised Malcolm Mitchell, while David Williams of Astle Paterson Solicitors and accountants Mazars acted for Dunstall Holdings Ltd.

Stephen Tranter, managing director of Wilkes Tranter, said: “We have known Malcolm Mitchell for over 25 years and I am delighted that, working with the corporate team at Thursfields, we were able to bring this deal to a satisfactory conclusion for the benefit of both parties.

“The deal was identified, negotiated and concluded in a relatively short timescale which is a tribute to all the professionals involved.”

Dunstall Holdings, owned by local entrepreneur and farmer Simon Clarke, is a business based in Staffordshire. The acquisition of AMVAR represents the third major acquisition completed by Dunstall Holdings following the acquisition of its agricultural business, Rea Valley Tractors in 2010 & Lift West in 2018.