Pioneering recycling business Moore’s has been acquired by a Wiltshire waste management group in a deal handled by the Bath office of regional law firm Thrings.
Family-run Moore’s Recycling collects and recycles waste plastic, packaging and cardboard from national blue-chip clients such as DHL, Coca Cola, Bernard Matthews, Argos and Marks & Spencer.
It is one of the few UK companies to also manufacture products from the waste it collects – completing the product cycle locally and reducing transport-related carbon emissions in the process. Its subsidiary Flogen processes more than 180 tonnes of plastic a month to makes pipes and other products from the recycled material.
All staff at the Frome-based firm, which was launched 54 years ago, will be retained by Grist Environmental.
Established in 1972 and also family owned, Devizes-based Grist offers a range of waste management services across Wiltshire and the South West, including selling damaged but repairable cars, bodywork restoration and scrapping. It works with major regional firms including Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems, Haydens Bakery and the Bowood Estate.
Both firms share an ethos of environmental sustainability and follow a zero-waste-to-landfill policy.
Thrings commercial partner Alex Pyatt and associate solicitor Sarah Ellis – both based in the firm’s Bath office – advised Moore (Holdings), owner of Moore’s Recycling, on the sale of the business to Grist’s parent group NG Holdings – ensuring the transaction documents reflected the agreed terms and that risk and reward were allocated fairly among both parties.
Sarah Ellis said: “The global context of the rising and falling cost of materials keeps pushing the refuse and recycling sectors to think differently about how they develop. Moore’s Recycling showed leadership by pushing forward innovative approaches to refuse management, for example, its decision to run both recycling and pipe manufacturing operations in close proximity.
“The acquisition is a sound decision that builds on this forward-thinking approach – enlarging the economic and environmental potential of product lifecycle completion at a local level.”
Moore’s managing director Jason Moore took over the business from his father Peter Moore in 1996 and has since developed it to meet the evolving needs of customers and the market.
He said: “I am confident that Moore’s Recycling will be in the best position to grow and develop in the hands of its new owners.
“Handovers are rarely straight forward, but Thrings did a great job, acting proactively throughout and managing the acquisition expertly and smoothly, with an outcome we are all pleased with.
“I would like to thank the staff at Moore’s Recycling for their dedication over the years, without which we could not have built on the success of the company in the way that we did.”
Jason is now dedicating himself to the restoration of classic cars,having launched a new business, JPM Classics, earlier this year.
Financial aspects of the deal, which have not been disclosed, were managed by regional accountants Bishop Fleming’s Bristol office.
Managing partner Matthew Lee said: “We were delighted to work with Moore Holdings and advise on the full sales process of this transaction. I am pleased we have been able to help deliver the result the Group were looking to achieve.”
Pictured: Thrings associate solicitor Sarah Ellis and commercial partner Alex Pyatt with Jason Moore of Moore’s Recycling, right
