Dutch courage for beauty deal gives shine to 'half term week' vibe amongst Rainmakers
Our weekly free round up of key deals and major moves in the Rainmakers world
Hello Rainmakers,
There was a distinct ‘half term’ vibe to our news this week. Not many deals, and a few broadsides shot over the bows of regional targets by overseas buyers, before everyone headed for the beach or the padel courts.
We’ll keep an eye on developments at Bodycote and Advanced Medical Solutions, but for now it’s a standoff.
A reminder too to get your tickets for the Rainmaker Awards in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham, which are selling fast.
This is free to all who have signed up, however Rainmakers subscribers get two unique pieces a week, and also full access to our back catalogue of investigations, scoops, and insights, including updates from The Secret Investor, interviews with entrepreneurs, and the leaders from VC and PE investors like Endless, and River Capital, Foresight, Mercia, Puma and LDC.
UK beauty goods firm Quest Personal Care Global has been acquired by international consumer goods trading and brand development company, Brand Masters.
The winners of the Family Business of the Year at theBusinessDesk.com’s Business of the Year Awards 2025, Quest will continue to operate independently within the Netherlands based group, preserving its brand identity, customer relationships, and the Swinton, Greater Manchester-based team.
The amount Brand Masters has paid Quest has not been disclosed, but the company made a pre-tax profit of £5,153,911 (2024: £3,038,408) for the year to the end of 2025, from a turnover of £29,122,536 (2024: £24,052,590). At 31 December 2025 the company had net assets of £6,477,898 (2024: £2,869,071).
Antony Wagman who co-founded the business in 1993 with his father Eric, will step down as Executive Chairman, with Jamie Wagman remaining as Managing Director, working alongside the existing board.
The business set out to become challenger brand to costly premium skincare by offering a product line of effective, consumer-driven skincare at affordable price points and has since grown into a leader in the beauty sector supply products in skincare, beauty, and personal care products to over 250 retailers and distributors.
Brand Masters, headquartered in Oosterhout in The Netherlands is backed by Avedon Capital Partners, and its buy and build strategy has created a broad product portfolio and geographical reach.
The combined company will generate revenues of over €300 million and create a team of more than 250 across Europe and Asia.
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Rescue deals rarely come with literal sirens and flashing lights, but EMED Group's takeover of Bristol Ambulance Emergency Medical Services certainly required an emergency response.
BAEMS collapsed after a £1m tax bill triggered a winding-up petition from HMRC, as a longer-running VAT dispute over patient transport services came to a head.
EMED is the UK's largest non-emergency ambulance operator and is backed by infrastructure investor Tiger Infrastructure Partners so was able to move fast to keep BAEMS' services running and save 315 jobs.
For a healthcare transport sector consolidating around scale players, BAEMS' assets and NHS relationships were worth rescuing, even if the pre-pack structure means the tax bill is likely to remain an untreated wound.
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Dwelly is still on a buying binge, snapping up Leicester lettings firm Albery Tyson in its fourth deal of 2026 as it continues to let nothing slip past in its UK expansion drive.
Backed by a £69m war chest, the Uber-founded proptech group is turning capital into consolidation, stitching together independent agencies and plugging AI into operations.
The latest acquisition adds around 250 managed properties to its growing Midlands footprint, with Albery Tyson set to be absorbed into SBK Lettings in Market Harborough as Dwelly keeps folding regional players into its expanding network - or, as it might call it, its “portfolio puzzle”.
It follows a string of recent moves, including Brookdale Property Management in Peterborough and Goodwin Property Services in Stamford, as the business continues to scale faster than a landlord chasing overdue rent.
Despite the pace, Dwelly insists it’s not just playing Monopoly with estate agents. Head of M&A Sam Humphreys said: “Following our recent funding raise, there’s naturally been a huge amount of interest from agency owners exploring what their next step might look like.
“But for us, acquisitions have never simply been about scale. What we look for are businesses with strong local foundations, great people and a reputation that has been built over many years within the communities they serve.”
Albery Tyson echoed the sentiment on the other side of the deal. Marcus Ainsworth said: “Having built the business over many years, it was incredibly important to find a partner that understood the value of local relationships and the culture that sits behind a successful independent agency.”
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Musselburgh-based sustainable energy firm Gensource has acquired Perth photovoltaic panel installer Solar Kingdom.
The deal is the first completed since the group was founded by Josh King and Robert Wilson towards the end of 2022.
The value was not disclosed, but all jobs and assets have been retained as part of the transaction, with Solar Kingdom owner Gregor Thake becoming technical delivery director at Gensource.
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A pair of West Yorkshire property firms have combined their expertise this week. Leeds-based property advisory firm, Granton James, has merged with established multi disciplinary property practice, Brackenridge Hanson Tate (BHT). Granton James’s founder, Scott Morrison, joins BHT as a shareholder alongside the remaining founder member, David Brackenridge.
BHT is also based in Leeds and has accumulated 28 years of experience specialising in agency, investment, valuation and property management. Morrison will be focusing on growing and expanding the agency and transactional side of the business.
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The 2026 Rainmaker Awards
The North West, Yorkshire and West Midlands Rainmaker Awards are upon us, once again bringing together the region’s deals community to celebrate the standout deals, teams, and individuals of the past 12 months.
Voted for by the corporate finance community itself, the awards are decided on a one-firm, one-vote basis – making the Rainmaker a genuine peer-led recognition.
Voting forms start landing next week, after the shortlists have been agreed by a judging day involving all the region’s leading firms.
The Rainmaker Awards ditch black-tie formality and speeches in favour of a relaxed evening focused on what the deals and the people who made them happen.
The evening is also a great way to connect with leading firms and individuals shaping the regional deal landscape.
There is a new individual category this year, as we will recognise Lifetime Achievement of one of our Rainmakers for the first time.
The 2026 Yorkshire awards are on June the 11th at New Dock Hall in Leeds, the North West awards will take place on the 25th of June 2026 at the Kimpton Hotel in Manchester city centre, and the West Midlands at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham on the 2nd of July.
Last year sold out, so book early to secure your table.
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