Trade acquisition for 4Com Technologies

Moore Barlow has advised 4Com Group Limited (a subsidiary of 4Com Technologies Limited) on its acquisition of Midshire Business Systems (Communications) Limited, trading as Midshire Telecom.

Undertaking its first acquisition in its 23-year history, Bournemouth based 4Com is excited about the prospect of introducing its own market leading software and platform to Midshire Telecom, whose  own products and services will aptly complement 4Com’s existing offering.   

About the transaction

Spearheaded by our vastly experienced corporate team, supported by our commercial propertyemployment and commercial (including intellectual property) teams, made sure the transaction was completed in the smoothest way possible whilst ensuring 4Com had all the contractual assurances it needed to proceed. This type of transaction perfectly demonstrates how our clients benefit from Moore Barlow’s wide breadth of service offerings for businesses. 

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Advising on the acquisition from start to finish, with involvement from the heads of terms through to completion and all post completion matters, we provided the comfort and certainty 4Com needed to make this first acquisition. A full legal due diligence exercise was undertaken alongside financial and tax due diligence carried out by EY, which included consideration of the recently introduced National Security and Investment Act. 

Following completion, Midshire Telecom will continue to trade in its own right and operate as a discrete company within the 4Com group under its existing brand, albeit enjoying the economies of scale being part of the group will bring.  As part of our work, we reviewed and protected the position of Midshire Telecom’s branding to ensure that 4Com could be comfortable with this ongoing arrangement.  

Simon Lister will remain as Operations Director at Midshire Telecom and will be joined by a handful of directors from 4Com, including Dean Cartledge, who will become the new Chief Operating Officer.

Hear from the clients

“[4Com sees] a great deal of opportunity thanks to this acquisition. Midshire Telecom have additional expertise in fields such as Managed IT Services and Office WiFi solutions, which we’re excited to be able to offer to our existing customers, while also introducing our own solutions to their customer base.” Dean Cartledge, Midshire Telecom, Chief Operating Officer

“As our first ever acquisition, this is a huge milestone for us and it was incredibly important we got it right. It was essential to have a partner we knew we could trust. Moore Barlow supported us throughout the process and ensured we had everything necessary to make the transition as smooth as possible for both sides of the acquisition.” 

Gary Scutt, 4Com, Chief Executive Officer

Hear from our lead Partner

“4Com and Midshire already offer SMEs first-class IT and telecoms solutions, so the acquisition is a perfect marriage, bringing an even more expansive offering under one roof that will add value for both company’s customers. 

Midshire Telecom will benefit immensely from the scale that 4Com’s nationwide network of customers offers and means more SMEs across the UK will get access to an impressive suite of IT services, from maintenance to security.”

Roger Bailey, Moore Barlow, Partner

How Moore Barlow can help you

If you require legal advice and services when going through the purchase or sale of a business, contact our expert team today.

About 4Com Technologies Limited

4Com Technologies was established in 1999 and provides Unified Communication (UC) to UK small-medium-enterprises (SMEs), combining its proprietary HiHI phone system with telecom services. 

The company delivers a premium, cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system and associated software that offers SMEs an enterprise grade solution with a distinctive consumer like appeal. The company was won multiple awards in its history, most notably coming top in The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For in 2017.


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