Recent Transactions

Key Corporate Transactions

• Advised the Management Team on the £111.4m MBO (backed by Alchemy Partners) of the retail lending services and insurance businesses of Open+Direct Limited from Viridian Group PLC.
• Advised Vendors on the sale of BIC Systems Group Limited to British Telecom Communications Limited
• Advised management on the £146m MBO of the Survitec Group, backed by Montagu Private Equity.
• Advised Monaghan Mushrooms in connection with its merger with Carbury Mushrooms (the joint venture between Connacht Gold Co-Op and Donegal Creameries Plc) to create the largest Mushroom producer in Europe. The transaction included carrying out due diligence on several trading sites in Scotland and England.
• Advised selling shareholders on the disposal of business of Savoury Foods Limited to Robt. Roberts Limited.
• Advised Glenfarm Holdings on the disposal of the entire issued share capital of Ballymoney Foods
• Advised Meridio in its US$10m second round funding from Polaris.
• Advised Dale Farm Limited on the acquisition of the trade and assets of Parmalat's UK dairy processing business.
• Advised vendors on the £17.3m sale of BIC Systems Group Limited to British Telecom Communications Limited.
• Advised J.P. Morgan in connection with the Northern Irish aspects of its acquisition of Warner Chilcott (former Galen) based in Craigavon for $3.1 billion.
• Advised the MBO team on the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of McGregor & Manning Limited trading as The Yard.
• Advised Bank of Ireland on the funding aspects of the acquisition by UTV of the Wireless Group for £98 million.
• Advised Four Seasons Group on the Northern Irish aspects of its acquisition of Bettercare for £116 million.
• Advised the management team on their venture-capital backed acquisition of Audio Processing Technology.
• Advised purchaser client on the acquisition of the holding company of the largest chain of ice rink businesses in Europe. Consideration circa £15 million. Acquisition involved extensive property and environmental diligence on 8 separate sites in England.
• Advised purchaser client on the acquisition of the English holding company of an engineering group. Consideration circa £15 million. Acquisition involved extensive property and environment due diligence on 2 operating sites in England.
• Advised Taggart Holdings Limited on the acquisition of Cecil M Yuill Limited, the residential house builder based in Hartlepool.
• Advised Taggart Holding Limited on the acquisition of Fraser Estates, the residential house builder based in Belfast
• Advised the management team on the equity funded buy-in of Maybin Support Services (NI) Limited and its subsequent acquisition of Grove Services Group Ltd
• Advised Lagan Technologies on an equity funding round by institutional investors, securing an £8.3million investment.
• Advised Roger Bullivant (Ireland) Limited on the acquisition of Stratex Limited.
• Advised the vendors in the sale of Salmor Industries Ltd to Northstone (NI) Limited.
• Advised Chambers Coach Hire Limited on the sale of the company to Enterprise Equity and co-investors.

PFI/PPP Projects

• Altnagelvin - acted for Altnagelvin Hospitals Trust in connection with the procurement of a pathology and laboratory service centre at Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Londonderry.
• Westlink Project - (instructed by leading London firm Allen & Overy) advised Highway Management (City) Limited in connection with the Westlink Project Belfast (DBFO Roads Package One).
• Tughans acted as legal adviser to Fujitsu on this £185 million project to transform and modernise the structure and delivery of personnel services including payroll and HR management services for the Northern Ireland Civil Service through an electronic Human Resource (e-HR) system. The e-HR project will result in the more efficient and effective delivery of personnel services as well as enabling civil servants to refocus efforts on frontline services. It aims to consolidate HR services, currently provided across NICS Departments, within a Shared Service Centre (SSC), which will provide an HR Contact Centre, HR administrative support, advice and guidance for managers across Government Departments and Agencies. Our work also included dealing with the legal aspects of Fujitsu's key sub-contracts.

Property Highlights

• Tughans was instructed by Reit Asset Management in connection with the acquisition and subsequent disposal of two major shopping centres in Northern Ireland.
• Advised in relation to the acquisition and development of a site for a major retail and business park in South Belfast.
• Acted in connection with the acquisition of a retail warehouse park in Londonderry.
• Continue to act in connection with the development and leasing of the 450,000 square foot retail and leisure park at 'D5' Belfast.
• Acted in the sale of a shopping centre in South Belfast.
• Advised the principal objector at the major public inquiry into the proposed Victoria Square Development Scheme.
• Advised owner of a major shopping centre in connection with the development of an extension and the letting of the anchor unit to a major retailer.

Key Litigation Highlights

• Represented Axor (UK) Ltd in a major building contract adjudication arising out of the project to develop Belfast City Airport.
• Acted for the developers of the "D5" site in proceedings brought in an effort to quash their planning permission. The proceedings were successfully defended - ultimately in the House of Lords.

Key Employment Highlights

• Advised on a range of employment matters with particular emphasis on contractual issues.
• Advised employers on the implications of legislation on work practices, such as Working Time Regulations, Equal Pay Act as well as the anti-discrimination legislation.
• Provided advice and representation to employers in unfair dismissal cases and cases where discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, gender and disability has been alleged. For example, recently advised one of the UK's leading employers' organisations in a race discrimination case.
• Advised on employment law issues arising in relation to the transfer of employees between two Hospital Trusts.
• Advising a leading public sector employer on litigation arising out of a dispute with a government department. The dispute concerns the responsibility for "shared employees".
• Presently acting for supplier to manufacturing industry in action to enforce restrictions on competition by former employees who have left to establish business in the same field.
• Advised pension scheme members on recoupment of the sum of £900K paid out to the company by the trustees.