INDUSTRY
Yapp Brothers is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading French and regional wine importers. An award-winning importer of high-end French and regional wine. The company was rated top ten online wine merchants in the UK’ by The Independent. Based in Wiltshire, the company’s operation includes an online retail service and a physical store.
Having developed Yapp Brothers into one of the UK’s leading wine suppliers to many top restaurants including Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the owners, Jason Yapp and Tom Ashworth, engaged Avondale to help them seek outside investment to expand the business. They were keen that the chosen investor presented similar values to them, and would continue to promote the high-end culture of the business and its focus on high-quality produce.
Having gained a firm understanding of the owners’ objectives and business model, Avondale set about strategically marketing the business to potential investors. Through careful positioning of the company’s brand and unique offering, the team could create a competitive bid environment. This generated interest from more than 50 parties and led to five quality offers.
After a rigorous vetting process, an investment proposal was selected from Reh Kendermann, one of Germany’s largest wine producers. The clear synergies between the two companies enabled a smooth outcome to the transaction, with the negotiations and terms of the investment fully managed by Avondale. The entire transaction, from instruction to completion, took just seven months.
“Avondale was with us from the start of the process to the very end, demonstrating professionalism, attention to detail and imparting excellent advice. We could not have been more satisfied with our choice of partner for this journey.”
Tom Ashworth, CEO Yapp Brothers
