Nabarros loses out to Hammonds in Hull deal

Hammond Suddards is half-way towards poaching Nabarro Nathanson's client, Hull engineering company Fenner, having just completed its first major transaction for the listed company (see Flotations).

David Armitage, Hammonds corporate partner in Leeds, has just advised Fenner on the £5.45 million sale of its Hull gear manufacturing facility to Sumitomo Heavy Industries of Japan. Fenner normally uses Nabarros and Hull firm Rollit Farrell & Bladon.

Armitage said there were two reasons why Fenner had chosen Hammonds: "Its power transmission division is run out of Leeds, but primarily it was because I came across Mark Abraham, who is now Fenner chief executive, and Richard Galloway, now company secretary, on the other side of a transaction some years ago and we struck up a relationship."