Osborne Clarke advises Biffa on its acquisition of Company Shop Limited for an upfront £82.5 million

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised Biffa Plc, the UK’s leading sustainable waste management business, on its acquisition of Company Shop Limited (CSG) for an upfront enterprise value of £82.5 million.

Company Shop Limited (CSG) is the UK’s leading and largest redistributor of surplus food and household products. It prevents waste by identifying surplus produce and then collecting, processing and redistributing it for sale through its unique network of membership-based outlets.

The Group also operates an award-winning social enterprise, Community Shop, a not-for-profit community interest company with a network of six community hubs supporting some of the most deprived areas of UK. Supported by donations from supplier partners, Community Shop provides its members with vital access to deeply discounted food, as well as life-changing learning and development programmes.

The Osborne Clarke deal was led by Corporate Partner David Ferris, David was supported by Senior Associate James Archer and Senior Paralegal Jay Eng. Partner Matt Germain and Senior Associate Caroline Bush and Partner Katie Vickery also provided commercial and regulatory advice.

David Ferris said: "We are delighted to support the Biffa team on this acquisition of a company, which is transformational for the industry, through their ongoing focus on the circular economy and which puts environmental and social purpose at its heart."

Decarbonisation will be crucial to meeting the climate change challenge and achieving net zero carbon targets by 2050. Developing a more circular economy in a sector like food manufacturing and wider FMCG will form a key part of that, in moving the focus and investment higher up the waste hierarchy. Osborne Clarke is supporting its clients strive to meet the challenges of decarbonisation and achieving net zero. The team’s experience and sector expertise means they are well placed to advise on your decarbonisation journey.

Key highlights of the acquisition:

· Leverages Biffa’s position as the UK’s leading sustainable waste management company, further improving its capability to support its customers’ waste reduction and recycling targets.

· Strengthens Biffa’s commitment to unlocking circular economy innovation for its customers and enhances Biffa’s service provision across the entire waste hierarchy, expanding the Group’s offering in commercial surplus redistribution through CSG’s unique and market-leading business model,

· Compelling growth opportunities with increasing regulatory, social and environmental tailwinds underpinning a significant addressable market opportunity,

· Biffa and Company Shop Group synergies through shared goals, including the continued development of profitable, sustainable waste management solutions while making a meaningful contribution to society.