Harbottle & Lewis has advised the Brasmar Group (Brasmar) on its recent acquisition of C.T. Holmes & Co. Limited (Holmes), one of the UK’s leading importers and distributors of branded frozen seafood.

Located at the historic Billingsgate Market where it has operated for over 70 years, Holmes will retain its current management team under the new ownership.

Brasmar, owned by the Vigent Group and MCH Private Equity, is the market leader in the Portuguese seafood industry. This strategic acquisition represents a major milestone for Brasmar, increasing its presence in the UK market and bolstering its offering to British consumers.

The Harbottle & Lewis team advised Brasmar on all English law aspects of the transaction. Charlie Leveque (Corporate, Partner) and Alex Gays (Corporate, Associate) led the team with assistance from David Scott (Corporate Tax, Partner), Jake Jacobson (Corporate, Associate), Mark Primrose (Employment, Associate) and Gina Asadi (Corporate, Trainee). Telles Abreu Advogados advised Brasmar on the Portuguese law aspects to the sale.

Sérgio Silva, Chairman of Brasmar’s board, said: “Brasmar is always looking for business opportunities that help us to strengthen our leadership position in the European market. In the specific case of Holmes, it provides us with valuable knowledge, experience and positioning in the UK, significantly increasing our presence in this market.”

On working with Harbottle & Lewis, Josep Batlle, Investment Director at MCH Private Equity said: “Harbottle were excellent in all facets of the transaction; their reactivity and their commercially driven approach helped ensure a smooth process from beginning to end.  It was a pleasure to work with them”.