Management buy out of Tocris Cookson

  • Speciality Chemicals
  • Management buy out
  • £21 million

Momentum advised the management team on the management buy out of Tocris Cookson Limited – the Bristol-based global leaders in specialist laboratory reagents.

Founded in 1982, Tocris has customers worldwide and the Company's catalogue of over 1,500 products is sent to more than 50,000 scientists annually.

A winner of the Queen’s Award for Export, Tocris has recently been short-listed for global chemistry awards. Tocris employs some 30 people at their Bristol offices and production facilities, and has an office in the USA.

Some key deal features

  • The management team achieved a majority equity stake in the deal.
  • The MBO was successfully negotiated and completed in less than eight weeks from the first meeting between the management team and Momentum. The ability to move fast was essential given the threat of a trade sale of the business.
  • The MBO was supported by Royal Bank of Scotland plc who provided mezzanine and senior debt facilities.
  • Momentum’s role with Tocris Holdings is set to continue with the provision of regular board input and advice.
  • The partners of Momentum are investors in Tocris Holdings at the invitation of the management team.
“We would not be the owners of our business now without the input and advice from Momentum. Having never attempted an MBO before we were understandably concerned by the complexity of the process, the threat of competition from a trade buyer and by the need to get the deal completed in an extremely short timeframe. Due to their experience, relationships and track record with funders, Momentum succeeded in driving the deal to completion in less than eight weeks from our very first meeting. We received exactly what we were promised in terms of very close involvement of the partners and were guided through the entire process seamlessly. We would not hesitate to recommend Momentum to any management team considering an MBO.”
Laurence Ede, Managing Director, Tocris Cookson Limited

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