Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham Office Advises On Deal

Birmingham-based manufacturer of vehicle registration plates, Hills Numberplates, has received almost £10million of investment from Finance Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, NatWest Corporate and Commercial Finance and RBS Invoice Finance.

Hills Numberplates will use the funding to support its continued growth following the company’s recent acquisition of Faab Fabricauto, France’s leading number plate manufacturer, as well as to create at least 20 new jobs in the next five years.

The acquisition of Faab is enabling the company to develop further geographical markets and maximise production efficiency. Hills Group is the world’s third largest number plate manufacturer and has more than 80 years’ experience providing products to national and international clients including Honda, Fiat, Ford and Toyota. The group currently employs more than 200 staff and produces more than nineteen million pairs of plates each year.

Richard Taffinder, Managing Director of Hills Numberplates, said: “We are a business built on excellent customer service and a strong vision and this funding will help us to accelerate our growth. By completing our acquisition of Faab Fabricauto and having the funds to invest in our products, we can now expand our offering for our customers and create a greater international footprint.”

Stephen Murray, Investment Director at Finance Birmingham, said: “Hills Numberplates is firmly positioned as a major world number plate manufacturer. We have been impressed with the management team and their growth strategy and the acquisition, alongside investment, in its staff base forms an integral part of that future. We are proud to be working in partnership with such a prestigious manufacturer and look forward to seeing it realise its future potential.”

The Birmingham office of law firm Irwin Mitchell advised Hills Numberplates on last year’s acquisition of Faab Fabricauto and also on the funding deal.

On the latest deal, Natalie Barnes, Banking & Finance Associate, led the Irwin Mitchell team which also included Naomi Sheikh and Nick Little and Rob Laugharne in the Corporate department.

Irwin Mitchell was recently named in the top 10 of most active M&A legal advisers in the Midlands.