Background
Stocks Lane Nurseries is a specialist, independent producer and supplier of young plants to the horticultural trade, established in 2001. From their site near Knutsford, Cheshire, they supply plants and sundries to all sizes of garden centres and retail supermarkets. The seasonal business is led by two directors, supported by a team of 8 full-time staff and a part-time office manager.
Building value before retirement
In 2022, as their thoughts turned to retirement, the directors began making plans to sell the business. They were conscious that business performance had suffered as a result of Brexit and the pandemic, and decided to work on winning new contracts to bolster the business and increase its value before they were ready to sell. During this time, the business lost one of its major customers, and the owners had to focus their efforts on reshaping the business.
Referred by their solicitor
Paul Dodgshon began supporting the team to exit the business in December 2022 following an introduction from their solicitor. By this point, the directors had spent precious time in meetings with potential buyers who’d turned out to be unsuitable. The pair were quite clear about the type of owner they wanted to attract. Their ideal buyer would be someone with industry experience, and a venture capital firm was out of the question due to their retirement ambitions.
Paul set about marketing the business and using our networks to target and attract suitable buyers. Early in the process, there was an offer from a Dutch company looking for a UK depot, but progress stalled, and the directors, advised by Paul, made the decision to walk away.
Positive signs, but slow progress
In December 2024, our client began talking to a Lancashire-based company who showed strong interest in the business. They were already operating in the industry and looking to expand. Their plan was to acquire Stocks Lane Nurseries to increase their production capacity. They were a good fit, and their offer was accepted, with Heads of Terms agreed in December 2024. Sadly, a problem obtaining funding delayed the process. Everyone had to be patient whilst the buyer sought alternative funding arrangements.
A strong, trusting relationship between vendors and buyer
In late 2025, the buyer came back with a new funder in place and was ready to move forward with the acquisition. Due diligence commenced in January 2026 and took around six weeks to complete. The funding was from an overseas bank, which was very hard to deal with, leading to frustration on both sides. Paul was on hand to advise and support, helping to move the process along and iron out communication issues. It was an anxious few weeks for everyone involved. Delays caused by the overseas bank led to the initial completion date of April being pushed back to June. The vendors and buyer had built up such a strong, trusting relationship, which gave them the confidence and belief to keep going.
The deal completed in June 2026. Under the terms of the deal, the two directors agreed to stay on in the business. One is working as a consultant and helping to recruit his successor, while the other will remain to support the transition for a period of three years.
The client says:
I was shocked by how difficult selling a business turned out to be. I didn’t realise how hard it would be to find the right buyer or how complicated and long the process would be. It was a real eye-opener.
That’s why it’s so valuable having someone in your corner like Paul who really knows what he’s talking about. He is keen, motivated and on the ball. He explained the process, fees, and timeline clearly, and he was realistic and down to earth about what we could achieve. I was surprised by his level of commitment and how much he delivered. He definitely earned his fee!
After the first interested buyer went quiet, Paul advised and motivated us to carry on. When we accepted the offer from the eventual buyer, I was really nervous throughout due diligence. The level of detail the overseas bank wanted was off the scale! It was frustrating at times, especially when the bank or solicitor asked for information we had already provided. It took a lot of time and effort, but I felt Paul’s support throughout. He rang me every few days to ask how we were getting on and how he could help. It was great to have someone to share the load. I really value Paul’s opinion. Even he admitted it was one of his more challenging sales.
It was a huge relief when the deal finally got over the line, but there were no celebrations as I still had to go to work the next day!
– David, Former Owner and Director, Stocks Lane Nurseries
