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Holmes Seafood is recognised as one of the UK’s leading speciality frozen seafood importers and distributors.
Holmes Seafood is Sold to Portuguese Company Brasmar
(UNITED KINGDOM, 1/27/2023)
Oghma Partners has announced that it acted as exclusive financial advisor to the shareholders of UK-based C.T. Holmes Limited (‘Holmes Seafood’) on the sale of their business to Brasmar Group SGPS, S.A (‘Brasmar’), one of the main European players in the seafood industry.
Privately owned since its incorporation over 70 years ago, Holmes Seafood operates out of the historic Billingsgate Market in London and employs around 40 staff. Holmes Seafood specialises in supplying independent frozen seafood wholesalers throughout the United Kingdom.
Holmes Seafood works with trusted ethical suppliers, people that share the company's core values and standards to produce a range of products that offers honest, consistent quality and value.
The acquisition of Holmes Seafood, benefiting from its privileged location in the largest inland fish market in the United Kingdom, will allow Brasmar to expand its presence in this geography, increasing the commercialisation of its products to British consumers. Holmes Seafood will maintain the current management team as well as all current jobs.
Mark Lynch, Partner at Oghma Partners, said: “We were delighted to achieve the sale for the Holmes Seafood shareholders who have found a good home for the business in Brasmar. This seafood sector deal follows on from our role advising on the recent acquisition of Ruskim Seafoods by Sykes and the sale of Icelandic Seachill to Hilton Group. Individually the team have now advised on over 18 seafood transactions making the Oghma team one of the most experienced in the seafood market.”
Holmes Seafood holds AA grade BRC accreditation, the BRC standard provides the foundation for the company's supply chain, ensuring its commitment to product safety and establishing due diligence and robust supplier criteria.
Andy Thomas, shareholder and Managing Director of Holmes Seafood, said of Oghma Partners: “Oghma were fantastic to work with and played a key role in the process. The team were professional throughout and did a great job coordinating the deal keeping the momentum going right through to completion. Oghma came highly recommended, and we chose them as our preference was to work with a specialist partner with a more personal touch; one who had a hands-on approach with good relationships and specialist knowledge of the food sector having completed numerous transactions in this sector over the past few years.”
Brasmar presents a portfolio with more than 200 species, the brand offers products in the categories of fish, seafood, cephalopods, dried salted codfish, desalted codfish and deep-frozen light salted codfish.
About Oghma Partners
Based in London, Oghma Partners is an independent corporate finance advisory firm providing acquisition, divestment, fund-raising and strategy advice to European consumer-focused companies and investors.
About Holmes Seafood
Holmes Seafood’s connections with the seafood industry span 70 years. Founded by Charles Thomas Holmes, the company started trading as C.T.Holmes & Co Ltd in 1951, the year that saw the opening of the company’s original wholesale business in the Old Billingsgate Market in London’s Lower Thames Street.The business relocated to the New Billingsgate Market when it opened in 1981 and since the mid 1990’s, trading as Holmes Seafood, has evolved and diversified, becoming recognised as one of the UK’s leading speciality frozen seafood importers and distributors.
Today, Holmes Seafood distribute a range of over 300 products throughout the British Isles and Europe to a broad cross-section of customers in the wholesale catering, foodservice and retail sectors.
About Brasmar
Brasmar is the brand of frozen sea products with the greatest variety in Portugal. Presenting a portfolio with more than 200 species, the brand offers products in the categories of fish, seafood, cephalopods, dried salted codfish, desalted codfish and deep-frozen light salted codfish.
In addition to providing a wide selection of sea products, Brasmar makes the difference in the market by being a reference in the processing of octopus and codfish: its flagship products. As a result of its team work and know-how, the Brasmar brand has been awarded the “Sabor do Ano” label by the consumers in the categories of cleaned octopus and desalted codfish loins and steaks.
(UNITED KINGDOM, 1/27/2023)
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