Pictured:  Paul Cliff, corporate partner in Gateley's Birmingham office

The corporate team at national law firm Gateley's Birmingham office, has closed its eighth acquisition deal in three months in the recruitment sector. 

The firm has advised AIM listed client, Network Group Holdings PLC (NGH) on six acquisitions worth in excess of £2 million which complete a series of targeted acquisitions by the Solihull based recruitment and outsourcing business. 

As NGH looks to expand its recruitment offering across the UK, it has recently acquired employment firms specialising in the engineering, construction, procurement and financial accountancy sectors. These include Birmingham based Procurement People Recruitment Limited, Network Professional Recruitment Limited, Options Network Limited and Sheridan Maine Limited.

The two most recent deals completed earlier this month.  These saw London based SSR Contract & Technical Ltd and SSR General & Management Ltd being brought into the fold to add to the recruitment firm's experience in contract and management sourcing.

The firm also completed two acquisitions for Pertemps Recruitment Partnership Limited (Pertemps). Pertemps has acquired a majority shareholding in Nurture People Limited, a group of 12 technical staff agencies with an annual turnover of approximately £30 million, and a majority interest in Ashton Consulting (UK) Limited, an IT consulting business with an annual turnover of approximately £6 million.

The Gateley team on the eight deals was led by corporate partner Paul Cliff supported by associates Andrew Cowan and Rachael Campbell and solicitor Tom Rush, as well as banking partner Philip Alton and solicitor James Dyson.

Speaking about Gateley's involvement in the acquisitions, Paul Cliff said: "We advised on all eight of the acquisitions recently undertaken by NGH and Pertemps. It's encouraging to see Midlands recruitment companies acquiring interests that will help strengthen the local job market whilst ensuring niche recruitment firms, that have suffered in these difficult times, can continue to flourish.

"We feel optimistic that Birmingham's corporate transactional market is moving in the right direction and we have been considerably more active on the deals front than this time last year. As a firm we have recently risen up the Experian corpfin M&A and IPO advisor league tables to number 8 compared to a position at number 20 this time last year."

Tim Watts, chief executive officer of Network Group Holdings PLC and Chairman of Pertemps continued: "It's been a busy and exciting few months for NGH and Pertemps as we have undertaken these targeted acquisitions. 

"The niche businesses that we have brought into the organisation will allow us to operate in a number of different recruitment sectors that complement our existing operations. Our approach to business is through a formula that will enable these acquisitions to grow and leverage the strength and resources that the Group offers, whilst supporting the management and employees within the individual businesses.

"Gateley has been a great support through the acquisition process on all of these deals. They are responsive and have a determination to get the job done.  We found their pragmatic approach to business mirrors our own and we enjoyed working with them on these important deals."

For more information about Gateley, please visit their website here: www.gateleyuk.com