Foot Anstey scores Ringpress deal

Foot Anstey Sargent has scooped a complex demerger and sale deal thanks to former Allen & Overy partner Mark Lewis.
The South West firm acted for Ringpress Books as it hived off its pet publishing business into a separate company and sold it on to Lawrence for £3.4m. Lawrence was represented by Stephenson Harwood partner Jen Woodward.
Ringpress has traditionally been advised by Chepstow firm Francis & Co, but due to the complicated nature of the transaction, the company opted for a firm with greater corporate capability.
Lewis said: "They were introduced to us because of the demerger and the requirement to have someone to handle the technical aspects of that and also the subsequent sale to an AIM-listed company."
The deal entailed an upfront payment of £1.3m with the remaining £2.1m deferred. The acquisition is conditional upon a contemporaneous placing to raise a further £3.4m.
Lewis added: "It was technically challenging as it involved a reorganisation in the form of a demerger before part of the newly demerged business was sold." Stephenson Harwood also has to negotiate dual debt and equity financing for the buyers.
John Sellers, managing director of Ringpress, said: "We were aware of the firm's expertise in transactional work involving both listed and AIM-listed companies, and now the deal is complete, I can say that the advice and service we received from Foot Anstey Sargent's team under the leadership of the impressive Mark Lewis was first class."
Lewis was equally appreciative, saying the deal was "absolutely fabulous".
"Sellers was a dream client in that he lets you get on with things and is good at giving intelligible and helpful instructions," he added.