Sentio has advised on the sale of a majority shareholding in The Symphony Group to Belfast based W&R Barnett for an undisclosed sum.
The Symphony Group plc was founded in 1971 and is one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of fitted kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture under its Laura Ashley Fitted Furniture, Gallery, Linear, Koncept and Urbano brands. The Symphony Group supplies nationally to private developers, social housing providers, merchants and independent retailers. With a turnover of more than £325m in 2024 the Symphony Group employs over 1800 people on four sites in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire with a reputation for outstanding customer service, inspirational design and a commitment to sustainability.
W&R Barnett is a fourth-generation family business committed to owning and investing in successful operating businesses and their employees. Founded in 1896, the W&R Barnett group has grown from its origins as a grain merchant in Northern Ireland to a group of commodity trading and industrial businesses across the globe.
The current beneficial owners of the Symphony Group, Doug Gregory and his family, will retain a significant share in the business and be represented at board level. Recently appointed Managing Director, Paul Whitehouse, who has been with the business for 23 years, will continue to lead the Symphony executive team.
W&R Barnett CEO William Barnett commented: ‘‘We are very excited to invest in the Symphony Group and look forward to working with the management team to continue its success and growth’’
Paul Whitehouse, Symphony Group MD, commented ‘‘W&R Barnett’s investment will place the Symphony Group in a strong position for long term success and strengthen our position as market leader. This deal will deliver security to all our stakeholders – employees, customers and suppliers. We share with W&R Barnett many core values including a commitment to employee welfare, excellent customer service, innovation and an appetite for growth.’’
Sentio Partners led the transaction on behalf of the Gregory family interests. Ian Marwood, Partner, commented “Having worked with both the family and the Symphony Group for many years, I am delighted at the outcome of this deal and will continue to represent the family as a non-executive director on the board of Symphony.”
The advisors to the parties included:
Sell side:
Lead adviser, Sentio Partners (Ian Marwood, Ben Holton, Brooke Fenton)
Legal, Macfarlanes (Stephen Pike, Lauren Bretton, Chris Wood)
Legal, Walker Morris (George Bacon, Elle Sugden, Michael O’Halloran, Brenna Varcoe)
Vendor Due diligence, KPMG (Sue Richardson, Jonathan Loughran, Thomas Dorrington)
Tax advice, KPMG (Philippa Sanderson, Matt Gourlay, Dominic Raynor, Joanne Brien, James Greenwell)
Buy side:
Legal, Davidson McDonnell (Vicky Dummigan, Louise McCaffrey, David McDonnell, Ben Fraser, Michaela Kilpatrick)0
Legal, Lewis Silkin (Paul Gillen, Emma Grossmith)
Financial due diligence, EY (Isaac Mulholland, Connor McVeigh, Ryan Neill, Zehraan Arif)
Tax advice, PwC (Ross Marshall, Sinead Kinsella, Sarah McGarrity, Kyle Johnston, Charlotte Knaggs)
Commercial Due Diligence, McKinsey (Ingo Aghte, Sam 0’Gorman, Christopher Croke, Oliver Kernick, Imogen Sinclair)
IT/Cyber, Neuways, a ZenzeroCompany (Martin Roberts, Toby Stephenson)
Property, Cushman Wakefield (David Wilson, Sam Vinall, Mark Gaskell)
Environmental/ESG, Tetratech (Alan Dew, Chris McCallum)
