Clarke Willmott advises Vauxhall dealership Picador on its acquisition by Snows

Our corporate team have advised the shareholders of Vauxhall dealership Picador on its acquisition by Southampton-based motor group Snows.

Picador is one of Vauxhall’s longest-serving retailers and providers of authorised services and repairs in the country. It is also a used car seller and an authorised service and repairs centre for Renault and Dacia.

Snows will add the Vauxhall sites to its network, taking its number of dealerships across the South to 50. The business will now employ more than 1,000 people.

Kelvin Balmont, who heads up the corporate and commercial and banking teams in Southampton, led on the deal for Clarke Willmott. He was supported by commercial property partner Jin Takhar, associate Hollie Blackwood Fisher and paralegal Heather Farquharson.

Graham Jacobs, chief executive at Picador, said: “We’re delighted to become part of the Snows business and are grateful to Kelvin Balmont and the Clarke Willmott team for the part they played in the process, providing us with sound advice and acting as a trusted sounding board.”

Kelvin Balmont added: “It was important for Picador’s management team to find a buyer for the business who shared the same ethos and to whom they could entrust their loyal and skilled workforce. In Snows they have found such a buyer.

“Like any deal, this transaction had its complexities. We’re delighted that, along with the other advisors, we achieved a challenging timetable and delivered a deal with which all parties were pleased.”