Clearwater has advised private equity investor Rutland Partners (Rutland) on the acquisition of Southgate Global Limited (Southgate).
Southgate is a market leading solutions provider within the packaging and e-commerce fulfilment sector. From its origins as a regional UK packaging supplier in the 1960s, the business has impressively evolved through strong organic growth and several strategic acquisitions to become Europe’s largest trade supplier of machinery, equipment and associated consumables to the industrial packaging marketplace.
Southgate enjoys diverse and long-standing supply chain relationships with global manufacturers, which enable the company to offer its customers an unequalled range of products that provide outstanding value alongside market leading service levels. Southgate’s systems provide solutions to fast-paced fulfilment centres that rely on high quality and reliable supply.
Sustainable packaging is now high on the agenda of every e-commerce and distribution company. Southgate’s mindset is to drive collaborative customer partnerships and create value through constant product innovation to enhance operational productivity. The strong focus on innovation in this area ensures that customers maximise their opportunity to meet their corporate sustainability objectives.
Southgate represents an exciting opportunity for Rutland to partner with the existing management team led by Craig Turner (CEO), and further develop the group’s global footprint and manufacturing capabilities. Rutland was selected by the Turner family because of its extensive experience in helping organisations through strategic change and further growth. The plan going forward will include expanding services to customers, pursuing domestic and international growth objectives and exploring targeted acquisitions where appropriate.
Alongside Rutland’s investment, Investec Growth and Leveraged Finance have provided a debt package to support Southgate’s growth ambitions.
