Sentio and Gordons advise on sale of leading plant hire business

Sentio Partners and Gordons have advised the shareholders of Chippindale Plant Ltd, the leading independent provider of construction equipment for hire and sale in the North of England, on its sale to AER Rents, part of the O’Flaherty Holdings group in Ireland.

Will Arnold from Sentio Partners provided corporate finance advice and Jonathan Asquez, Lisa Murphy and Lauren Wurzal from Gordons advised on the legal aspects of the sale.

Founded by Wilfred Chippindale in 1949, the company has grown steadily and is now one of the largest privately owned hire and sales companies in the UK. Since joining the company in the 1980’s Nigel and Peter Chippindale have continued to roll out and improve their customer-focused style.

Chippindale Plant provides the complete hire & sales service for plant, tools, attachments and site accommodation throughout the entire North of England and beyond. Operating from its head office in Leeds it has 8 strategically placed depots in Leeds, Catterick, Huddersfield, Keighley, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and York, employing 120 staff.

This latest exciting acquisition significantly strengthens AER Rents UK presence, allowing the group to offer a widened range of products and services to its customers, including the option to purchase new equipment through Chippindales dealership agreements with Volvo, Bomag, Mecalac, Epiroc, Atlas Copco, Stihl & Belle Group.

O’Flaherty Holdings is an organisation well known in Ireland, primarily through its role in the development of the Irish motor industry. Founded in the 1940s by legendary motor industry entrepreneur, the late Stephen O’Flaherty, the group continues to be owned and managed by members of the O’Flaherty family.

Its subsidiaries include Motor Distributors Limited, distributors in Ireland of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles and MSL – a network of independent motor dealerships providing sales and after-sales service for Mercedes-Benz, Mazda & Skoda.

The group first invested in plant hire in 2014 with the acquisition of London-based Mr Plant Hire and in 2020 also acquired Ireland-based Drogheda Hire & Sales & Midlands-based Mainline Group. Last year AER Rents also purchased Welfare 4 Hire, the specialist mobile welfare provider.

Each business has retained its identity, while capitalising on the strengths of their collective offerings and reach across the UK and Ireland and this will continue with Chippindale Plant.

In a separate comment, Nigel & Peter Chippindale said “We are delighted to be joining AER Rents fold. It’s a perfect fit not only for Chippindale Plant and its employees, but also for our customers. AER Rents are a forward-thinking organisation with an eye on expansion.”

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