Coodes help family business secure multi-million pound acquisition deal 

Family business Cornwall Group are celebrating the close of a substantial deal with the acquisition of Birmingham based Forward Glass, the Midlands largest independent toughened glass manufacturer. After a two-year journey, this marks an expansion into new regional markets for the team, who are experts in the glass manufacturing world. 

Cornwall Group is a family business, led by Mark Mitchell and set up in the 1970s by his parents, as Truro Glass. A restructure in 2019 saw a new group entity created with three trading divisions – Mackenzie Glass, Cornwall Glass & Glazing and Cornwall Glass Manufacturing.  

Now with the third generation coming through the business, the company continues to flourish, most recently opening a new branch in Truro in 2019. This latest growth is the biggest acquisition in their history and represents a long-term commitment to the glass industry.  

For Mark and the team, it was important to work with a local firm which aligned with the companies’ values. Mark alongside Kate Bunt, Group Finance Director, and Tom Julian, Group Managing Director, turned to Coodes for their support during the second year of the process. Led by Kirsty Davey, a multi-disciplinary team of experts made up of the Business Services Team supported the Cornwall Group every step of the way. Coodes worked hand in hand with the Group’s accountants, Lang Bennetts, to make the transaction as seamless as possible. 

James Pearce, Partner at Lang Bennetts, said: “Lang Bennetts has worked with Mark and the Cornwall Group team for many years, and were part of the acquisition process from the early stages. Once the transaction gathered momentum, Coodes’ involvement was crucial in helping to bring the process to a successful conclusion. Our team worked closely with Kirsty and Jack to make sure that the client got the best outcome.” 

Expanding into new regions 

Whilst the Group had experimented and diversified with their business ownership in recent years, with small retail businesses in Truro and the Isles of Scilly, their expertise has always been glass manufacturing. So when Birmingham based Forward Glass approached them two years ago, they jumped at the chance to expand their reach. 

Mark said, “we are an inquisitive company, and always open to new opportunities. We were particularly interested by Forward Glass as they were fifth generation family owned and had a lot of similarities with how we like to run our businesses.” 

The acquisition was a neat fit for the business, who wanted to expand from their most northerly branch in Bristol to the Midlands. Mark said “the glass manufacturing world is quite small, so the opportunity to acquire this robust business which fit with our strategy was one we couldn’t turn down.” 

The acquisition means they now oversee approaching 400 colleagues and own eight of the UK’s 300 glass toughening plants. 

Supported by a dedicated and expert team at Coodes 

Given this was a specialist business acquisition, Mark knew that the right team was required to make the deal a success. “From the start, Kirsty and Jack Peart (Corporate and Commercial) gave us great confidence and made us feel comfortable, offering expert advice in an accessible way. We were particularly pleased with their commercial awareness and hands on approach.” 

“This is the first time we’ve worked with Coodes, but it certainly won’t be the last. Kirsty and Jack are a winning duo and delivered on their commitments.” 

Coodes take pride in having a pragmatic, friendly but skilled approach to giving advice, allowing the client to make commercial decisions but at all times being aware of their legal position. The Group were also assisted by Helen Willett (Commercial Property) and Peter Lamble (Employment).  

Kirsty said “I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the team at Cornwall Group and it was a real pleasure to get this over the line for them. This acquisition demonstrates how the Group continue to offer the best service to their customers and staff. We look forward to building a long and successful relationship with them.” 

Investing in their employees 

Mark and the team are now focusing on integrating the new business into the Group, whilst ensuring the independent and family-owned feel remains.  

“We’re confident in the Forward Glass team, which is strong and established throughout. What we are now looking at is culturally integrating the two businesses and taking time to build trust and respect. One of the most important parts of the business is our people so making sure our new colleagues are happy and settled is top of our priority list. We have a strong family culture and values, and we want to make sure that all colleagues across the business enjoy many of the same benefits.” 

“In the next few years we plan to invest significantly in plant and machinery at the new Birmingham site, as well as updated IT equipment and improvements to the buildings. We would also like to roll out our apprenticeship programme to make sure we are nurturing the next generation of talent in the industry.” 

Get in touch 

For more information on this or any other business enquiries please contact Kirsty Davey, Head of Corporate and Commercial, on 01326 214034 or kirsty.davey@coodes.co.uk