Phenna’s Eighth Acquisition Of The Year Expands Firm’s Geographic Reach Throughout The UK

The Corporate team at Irwin Mitchell has advised Nottingham based Phenna Group on the acquisition of Trident Water Solutions, furthering the expertise of the TICC firm’s built environment division.

The deal is the fifth Irwin Mitchell has advised Phenna on, during a time of marked expansion and development of the group’s expertise throughout the TICC sector.

Joining forces with Trident continues Phenna’s tradition of partnering with selected niche firms in Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) that serve a variety of industry sectors.

Established in 2002, Trident Water Solutions has confirmed its position over the last two decades as a water treatment and water hygiene specialist, with a focus on legionella control. Trident offer their expert advice and service to facilities management and end user clients, ensuring they are compliant with applicable guidelines, regulations and legislation. With a wide and varied client base across multiple sectors, Trident Water is a trusted partner at over 200 sites across the UK.

Established in 2018 the Phenna Group has continued to work on uniting the TICC sector, by partnering with niche companies that serve a variety of sectors in the marketplace, allowing all firms within the expanding group’s operations to grow and realise their full potential.

Irwin Mitchell Corporate Partner Nick Dawson, together with Senior Associate Matt Smith, Alex Bloomer, Kate Featherstone and James Arnold advised the Phenna team on this latest deal, which follows working with Phenna on several high-profile acquisitions, including XAIS Asset Management in August and Simtec Materials in September 2022.

Expert Opinion

“Phenna Group has started the new year the way they finished the last, by continuing to develop the business and showcasing their clear, ongoing commitment to the TICC sector.

“It’s been a pleasure for the Irwin Mitchell corporate team to assist Phenna in strengthening the business again. We’re delighted to have played our part in Phenna and Trident joining forces, which will doubtless build on the service they can offer to clients and the wider industry.

“Phenna have a proven track record of developing talent and allowing its service lines to thrive and we’re excited to see how this latest deal helps to shape the TICC landscape in the years ahead.” Matt Smith, senior associate at Irwin Mitchell

Stuart Nixon, managing director of Trident Water Solutions, said: “We are thrilled and excited to be partnering with Phenna Group. Since first meeting Paul and his team, they have acted with great transparency and integrity; values which were very important to us in making our decision.

“Angela and I are convinced that Phenna Group will provide exactly the support Andy and the team needs to deliver our future growth plans and maintain the quality of our offerings. Trident Water has an excellent, experienced and highly committed team and in Phenna Group, I believe the future will be both exciting and rewarding.”

Paul Barry, CEO of Phenna Group, said, "Trident Water is a business that we’ve admired for a while and I’m absolutely delighted that Stuart and Angela have entrusted us with their legacy.  

“From our first discussions we were convinced that Trident Water would be a great fit within Phenna Group. This deal augments our market leading built environment division and I look forward to welcoming their talented team to our Group and to working with them all, to deliver continued success for the business.”

Phenna Group were advised by Irwin Mitchell and Johnston Carmichael. Trident Water Solutions were advised by Temple Bright LLP, Simon Day and Co and Benchmark International.