Harrison Drury advises Walker Fire on acquisition

Harrison Drury has advised Walker Fire UK Ltd, the Preston-headquartered provider of fire protection equipment and services, on its acquisition of Stockport Fire Protection Ltd.

Walker Fire – which has six offices in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands – provides products such as fire extinguishers, hoses, dry and wet risers, fire blankets and fire detection equipment, as well as installation and servicing. The business has a turnover of £5m.

Stockport Fire Protection, based on Whitehill Industrial Estate, Stockport, also specialises in portable fire appliances, fire alarm installation and maintenance, and fire marshal training.

The deal will add around £500,000 in turnover for Walker Fire, which employs 50 staff. Stockport Fire Protection’s six staff have all been retained and previous owner Giles Payne will continue to have an informal consultancy role with the business.

Walker Fire was advised on the deal, worth in excess of £1m, by the mergers and acquisitions team at Harrison Drury.

David Filmer, head of the mergers and acquisitions team, said: “Walker Fire has grown considerably in recent years and this deal provides the business with another sizable increase in turnover. Walker Fire was already a supplier to the target business, so this was a natural bolt-on acquisition.”

David Cosgrove, managing director of Walker Fire, said: “Stockport Fire Protection is a very well-respected business within the fire safety industry and has an excellent customer base. This acquisition provides us with a further opportunity for growth and we will continue to offer Stockport Fire’s customers the best in fire safety products and the highest levels of service.” Walker Fire is part of the Printbetter group of companies, which also includes the Moyne Roberts, Apex Fire and Smeba Brandbeveiliging brands.