REG - Gateley (Holdings) - Acquisition of Groom Wilkes & Wright LLP

Gateley (Holdings)Announcement

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RNS Number : 3391X  Gateley (Holdings) PLC  01 September 2025

1 September 2025

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of
EU Regulation 596/2014, which forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by
virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the publication of
this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the
public domain.

Gateley (Holdings) Plc

("Gateley" or the "Group")

(AIM:GTLY)

 

Acquisition of Groom Wilkes & Wright LLP

 

Gateley, the professional services group, is pleased to announce the
acquisition (the "Acquisition") of Groom Wilkes & Wright LLP ("GWW") for
a maximum consideration of up to £9.0 million.

 

Founded more than 20 years ago, GWW is a boutique IP firm specialising in
every aspect of trademark and design law, representing clients across all
sectors from start-ups to several of the biggest brand-owning companies
globally. For the year ended 5 April 2025, GWW delivered revenue of £4.7
million, with corporatised profit before tax of £1.4 million. As at 5 April
2025, GWW had net assets of £0.3 million.

 

Led by senior partners Trevor Wright and Katy Adams, GWW will operate within
Gateley's Business Services Platform and will continue to trade under the name
Groom Wilkes & Wright. The Platform combines the considerable commercial
expertise of IP and dispute resolution lawyers within Gateley Legal along with
trade mark and patent attorneys Adamson Jones and life sciences patent
attorneys Symbiosis IP, both acquired by the Group in 2022.

 

Acquisition rationale

 

Part of the Group's Platform strategy is to build an industry relevant trade
mark attorney and patent services offering via a mix of acquisitive and
organic growth, and by adding new trade mark and patent specialisms and
geographical areas. Alongside Adamson Jones and Symbiosis IP, the Acquisition
of GWW further enhances the development of complementary business services
with an IP and brands focus.

 

The combined strength and depth of expertise offered by GWW and Adamson Jones
positions them as one of the leading trade mark specialists in the UK, making
them well placed to extend and win more work in the sector.

 

Terms of the Acquisition

 

Under the terms of the Acquisition, Gateley has acquired Groom Wilkes &
Wright LLP from its members (the "Sellers") for a maximum consideration of up
to £9.0 million. The initial consideration of £5.725 million will be subject
to normal working capital and balance sheet adjustments, by reference to the
final completion accounts.  All consideration payments will be satisfied as
to 75% in cash and 25% by the issuance of ordinary shares of 10 pence each in
the capital of Gateley ("Ordinary Shares").

 

Once the completion accounts and the initial consideration have been
determined, consideration shares will be issued at a value of £1.24 per
share, being the 20 day average Gateley share price leading up to the
Acquisition date.  Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for
the consideration shares to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission") and a
further announcement will be made in due course in relation to this Admission.
The initial cash consideration will be funded from Gateley's new £80m
revolving credit facility announced on 14 April 2025.

 

The balance of the consideration will be payable by reference to a two year
earn-out period, with additional consideration equal to one times the EBITDA
of the acquired business in each of the two years after completion.

All members of the Groom Wilkes & Wright management team will remain with
the business, including Senior Partner, Trevor Wright, who has been in the
trademark industry for over forty years and was a founder member of the
business in 2004.

Commenting on the Acquisition, Rod Waldie, Chief Executive Officer of
Gateley, said:

 

"I am delighted to welcome Groom Wilkes & Wright to the Group. This
strategic acquisition will extend our reach in trade mark work across our
consultancy and legal services teams who operate in this field. The
Acquisition forms part of our acquisitive and organic growth plan to develop a
distinct and innovative intangible assets offering that further builds on the
extensive expertise we have in the market and where we are already seeing huge
potential for further growth."

 

Trevor Wright, Senior Partner and Founder of GWW, said:

"I'm thrilled that my colleagues and I are joining Gateley today.  Since our
first meeting I have been impressed by their strategic vision of building deep
expertise in a broad range of trade mark and wider IP professional services,
and by the progress they have made to date in delivering that strategy.   We
share the same core values of a commitment to excellence in client service,
delivered as a team.  I am very grateful to my colleagues for all their hard
work and dedication to this point.  Gateley will be a fantastic new home for
them and for the GWW business."

Enquiries:

 

 Gateley (Holdings) Plc
 Neil Smith, Chief Financial Officer                               Tel: +44 (0) 121 234 0196
 Nick Smith, Acquisitions Director and Head of Investor Relations  Tel: +44 (0) 20 7653 1665
 Cara Zachariou, Communications Director                           Tel: +44 (0) 121 234 0074 Mob: +44 (0) 7703 684 946

 Panmure Liberum - Nominated Adviser and Broker                    Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000

 Nicholas How/Satbir Kler

 

 

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